Good morning. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and odds are good that at some point during the day someone’s going to ask you what you’re thankful for. (One of my answers: that I have this job, writing to you.) It’s a good question to ask. People should think about gratitude more often. They should share their gratitude with others, in public, and not just on Thanksgiving. Saying it out loud is an act of grace, a gift to the people surrounding you. But if you’ll excuse a rub, they should not go on too long about it. No one likes rambling odes and endless lists. Everyone’s thankful for brevity this time of year. Bring on the rules about that!
Gratitude in six wordsLast week I invited you to send us six words describing what made you thankful in 2025. The writer Larry Smith popularized this form of writing: the six-word memoir. Thousands of you replied. (Thank you!) We received responses from all 50 states and all over the world, including from Britain, Canada, Mexico, India, Greece, Egypt, New Zealand, Panama, Germany, Jordan and Honduras. I’m not a data scientist, but it seems a lot of you are thankful this year for your health, for your families and for the beauty of nature. I gathered a short number of my favorite responses into a kind of found poem about Thanksgiving. It’s not a sestina, not even close. But I do like the shape of the six-by-six stanzas. ThankfulThe way my toddler says potstickers. * The joy of a wedding dance. * Only momentarily a widow. Defibrillators rock! * A man I melt into nightly. I hope you have a restorative and grateful holiday. Here’s what to know today.
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Shaking hands, exploring nature, playing the piano: The Russian president tried out a variety of poses in the latest editions of Vladimir Putin wall calendars. They recently hit newsstands in Russia. One version shows images of him alongside related quotes, including “Russia’s border never ends” (with a photo of him on a snowmobile) and “I am a dove, but I have very powerful iron wings” (with a photo of him tossing a judo opponent). Putin calendars, several of which are published each year, have been around as long as he has been president, though they seem to have taken off around 2011. While past editions have portrayed the Russian president as something of an action hero, the 2026 calendars show him in traditional, maybe more “presidential,” settings, such as giving his annual New Year’s address and sitting behind a desk. “This genre is its own kind of art,” Maxim Trudolyubov, a Russian journalist, told The Times, adding, “It is supposed to signal stability, predictability, even if the reality is nothing of the kind.”
The best way to honor Charlie Kirk is to protect speech that mocks or criticizes him so that argument remains the alternative to violence, Greg Lukianoff writes. States that want to reach their clean energy goals should drop their restrictions on nuclear energy, Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow writes. Here’s a column by Bret Stephens on Thanksgiving as rebirth. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more.
The story of a house: 29 Henry Street, in Sag Harbor on the east end of Long Island, was built in 1860, a house for a ship captain in a village full of ship captains. What happened to the building reveals longstanding tensions around whom Sag Harbor is for — and what, exactly, should be preserved there. Get to know your family history: It can be difficult to engage with older relatives, but they often have fascinating stories to tell. The holidays offer a great time to reconnect. Try these questions to get the conversation started. Dine and dash: An influencer photographed her meals at exclusive restaurants across New York City, then skipped out on the bills, the police say. Brain drain: Constantly checking your phone can lead to memory lapse and affect your ability to focus, The Washington Post reports. Cream of the crop: Human milk was thought to be the most chemically complex of mammalian milks. It’s got nothing on seal milk. Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about the mental health crisis in U.S. schools.
82 million— That’s about the number of people AAA estimates will fly, drive or take other forms of transportation during the Thanksgiving holiday, a 2 percent increase over last year. The Federal Aviation Administration is expecting the busiest Thanksgiving travel season in 15 years.
Women’s soccer: Gotham FC’s 1-0 championship win over the Washington Spirit drew more than one million TV viewers, smashing the audience record for the National Women’s Soccer League. N.F.L.: Marshawn Kneeland was driving more than 145 miles per hour in the police chase shortly before his death, according to new records that offer the fullest picture yet of the pursuit and chaotic search for the late Cowboys defensive end. |
