Happy Thanksgiving. While other personal finance sites have spent time detailing the cost of a big holiday feast and how to trim costs on turkey and all the trimmings, I thought we might run down a list of things for which you can be thankful today.

You don’t play for the Lions. Detroit is having a tough time this year. The Big 3 automakers are spending the holiday coming up with a plan good enough to persuade Congress to fork over $25 billion. Their plight, however, may be less frustrating than that of another crew of Michiganders. The Detroit Lions are stumbling through a winless football season. The turkeys of the NFL don’t get the holiday off, either. Calvin Johnson and Co. will be forced to take the field today and they’re massive underdogs.

You won’t be watching the ticker. The NYSE is closed for Turkey Day and they’ll be shortening Friday’s trading session. If you’re one of the countless people who’ve been spending every day with one eye on the Dow numbers, this is a great chance to watch parades and to interact with your family instead of spending the day with the staff of CNBC.

You can get a head start on National Listening Day. Although the first two items on our list are offered with tongue in cheek, this one’s legit. It’s your chance to play Studs Terkel, recording someone you know as they discuss their life. It’s a StoryCorps project. If you aren’t familiar with StoryCorps, you’re missing out. This group, sponsored by NPR and the American Folk Life Center at the Library of Congress encourages the creation of oral histories. Their work is outstanding and they’ve decided that the day after Thanksgiving–Black Friday–would be a perfect day for you to contribute to the collection.

I don’t think you need to wait until Friday, though. Most of us are surrounded by interesting relatives who’ve been through a lot over the years. This is a perfect chance to catch them on tape. Oh, and you can add a personal finance-related twist to the affair. Ask an older relative about the Depression or someone who’s been through tough times about what turned it around for them. Use it as an opportunity to gain some firsthand wisdom about money management.

Wired has details about participating in National Listening Day.

In terms of dollars and cents, things have been very bleak for many people lately. When you’re most recent 401(k) statement shows a drop of over 30%, it’s a little tough to get into the holiday spirit. When you or someone you know has either lost a job or may be on the brink of joining the ranks of the unemployed, cranberry sauce might not seem that exciting. The bad news has been coming at us hard and fast lately and it’s easy to develop a somewhat negative attitude toward all things celebratory. That’s a mistake, though.

MoneyNing reminds us that these are the times when Thanksgiving probably matters the most. Take some time to find the things that make it all worthwhile and spend a little time being genuinely thankful for them. Irving Berlin is responsible for this little contribution to the world of Thanksgiving quotations:

“Got no check books, got no banks. Still, I’d like to express my thanks. I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.”

Most of us do have a checkbook and we haven’t experienced a massive bank run yet. It should be easy for us to find a few things to appreciate.

A One-Day-Too-Late Personal Finance Tip: Make sure you have whipped cream before Thanksgiving dinner. A grocery store container of Cool Whip will cost about 1/3 as much as a spray can of whipped cream from the only convenience store in town that’s still open. Sorry I forgot to mention that yesterday.