Happy Belated Thanksgiving

This was originally published at onthescene.blogs.foxnews.com

I know I'm a loser for putting it up late... but I wanted to remind those of you who have to work holidays that I for one appreciate the work you do....

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Working on Thanksgiving

I am thinking of all of you who are working this Thanksgiving. I am giving thanks that you are there to do the jobs that you do. I am thankful to all the soldiers, police and firemen, restaurant and hotel employees, gas station attendants and airline workers- and the thousands of journalists like me- who this year drew the short end of the stick. While co-workers can often be like a family, nothing is like spending the holiday with your own family and friends, eating, relaxing and giving thanks.

I started working in television news when I was 17 years old. In the 20ish years since, I have spent many Thanksgivings (and Christmases for that matter) in the newsroom, trying to put a show together with little news and fewer resources. More than once the smattering of us left in the newsroom wondered whether anyone was watching anyway- so why not just run yesterday’s newscast? One of my more enjoyable Thanksgivings at work was spent in Phoenix, when station management sent in a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Some of the guys in the newsroom pulled two love seats in (from the bosses office?) so people could watch football. Someone actually found a football and started tossing it around. A couple people’s families came in to the station to join us for a hour or two. A team of two or three people started stringing up Christmas lights inside.

For those of you who have never had to work a holiday, be thankful. If you happen to run across someone who’s stuck on the job today, saying “I’m sorry you have to work today” goes a long way.

As for me, this year I am fortunate enough to have the day off. I am traveling home to Cincinnati to be with family. I stopped into an empty airport coffee shop and felt like a total heel when I saw the sole worker in the shop jump up from a turkey dinner to get me a cup of coffee. To that guy, and the multitudes of others of you working today, when I sit down with my family tonight, be assured, I raise my glass to you.