A Thanksgiving Lesson: An Accused Jihadist and an Accused Fascist Enter the Oval Office. Somehow, it’s Cordial.
Some reflections ahead of Thanksgiving.
What a pleasant surprise.
I didn’t expect to see a cordial meeting between New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump. Maybe it’s a Thanksgiving miracle.
The two men met on Friday and, as I pointed out during the campaign, they actually have been making many of the same points. Somehow, during campaign season, they refused to acknowledge it.
I worried that maybe, like the Democrats and Republicans during the government shutdown, they would refuse to see humanity in each other’s points of view, refuse to find consensus, refuse to find a way to work together.
Unusually for our current moment, they did the opposite. They got along.
During the session, a member of the press asked President Trump if he thought, as Rep. Elise Stefanik has said, that Mamdani is a “jihadist.” No, Trump replied. “You say things sometimes in a campaign.”
I still think that kind of rhetoric during a campaign is destructive, drives wedges and scares people. Especially when the politicians themselves know that what they’re saying is not true.
Will this alliance last? Probably not. Trump’s political partnerships rarely do. What gives me hope this Thanksgiving isn’t watching politicians discover common ground they’ll likely abandon by spring. It’s watching the bonds that actually endure.
Rituals That Endure
In Los Angeles, Diego Argoti, chef at Estraño, is spending his Thanksgiving making free ramen for those in need. Not turkey and stuffing but a very fancy ramen, creative as creatives are, and sharing the love.
It’s become a ritual and one that brings him joy, he recently told the Los Angeles Times.
In Montrose, a little suburban community of Los Angeles, firefighters and police are gearing up for the annual Christmas parade and festival, a tradition that goes back decades, bringing the whole community together to launch the holiday season. The police help fly Santa overhead. The firefighters escort Santa in a parade in front of hundreds of children.
These rituals, year after year, continue. People showing up and supporting their communities.
And then there are the families and friends who can civilly agree to disagree.
I wrote last year a little holiday tips article for my Substack for those who find holiday gatherings tough, when there are different points of view. I think it’s also important to remember that even when we agree on politics, we can all find various disagreements. It’s appreciating those differences and finding what bonds us that can make us stronger.
This Year’s Table
This year my family is spending Thanksgiving with friends here in Los Angeles.
Sometimes we travel home to the Midwest, but this year we’re staying close. I’ll be with my best friend from Galesburg and her family. Our kids will play, we’ll enjoy each other’s company. We’re joining a bigger group, including wonderful friends we’ve made through our kids. Dinner will be for a massive crowd. We’ve done this before, and all are welcome. Some are strangers. Some we’ve known for years.
Each year we’ve done this, we go around and one by one we say what we’re grateful for. Our health, many say. Our partners. Our friends. Our community. Not all are lucky to have each of the above. But all are recognizing that we have something. Something we can be grateful for.
My best friend’s very young son stood up toward the end of the celebration last year. What are you grateful for?
The beach, he says, in his little boy voice. He had barely gone to the beach, his mom laughed.
This year we made it to the beach ahead of Thanksgiving. Sometimes it’s about manifesting what’s to come.
The Lessons
I know things aren’t perfect in this country. They rarely are. I know we have so much further to go. We always do. I know so many are in pain, facing sickness, facing unfair choices. Each year, though, I think about some lessons my dad has passed down to me.
My sweet father always tries to look at the bright side. No matter what the situation. We’re grateful, he would say. And the more grateful you are, the more you’ll find you’ll have to be grateful for.
Politicians will make their temporary alliances. Politicians will make calculated short-sighted campaign accusations. But the chef will show up for those in need at Thanksgiving. The Montrose parade will march through its 47th year. Friends and families across America will gather around the table. These are the bonds that last.
I hope you and your family and friends have a wonderful Thanksgiving. If you want to, send a note back and let me know what you’re grateful for and what you’re manifesting in the year to come.
Until next week, Happy Thanksgiving.