'At the Five and Ten Cent Store'

Irving Berlin was Jewish and gave us the soundtrack for our American holidays, including Thanksgiving Day: “My needs are small, I buy ’em all / At the five and ten cent store. / Oh, I've got plenty to be thankful for.” Bing Crosby, a serious Roman Catholic, introduced “I’ve Got Plenty to Be Thankful For” in the 1942 film Holiday Inn, backed by Bob Crosby and His Orchestra. Also in the movie Crosby sings “White Christmas.” As performed by Der Bingle, it remains the best-selling single in history, topping 50 million physical copies.

There’s a lot of lip service paid to gratitude this time of year. It’s an easy virtue to fake. People love histrionic piety. Mumble something about the things you’re grateful for – that Tesla in the garage, two kids at Stanford, low PSA – and you’ve won the crowd. Gratitude is most convincing when expressed implicitly, with a gesture or a nod. Actions trump words. Don’t say you’re grateful. Act gratefully. Pick up the trash that blows into your neighbor’s yard and don’t tell him. As a friend advised me decades ago: Do a good turn and don't get found out. You'll probably still congratulate yourself but that's an internal affair and you won't be imposing it on others. George Herbert writes in “Gratefulness”:

 

“Thou that hast given so much to me,    

Give one thing more,—a grateful heart.”

 

In a month I retire from Rice University after almost sixteen there years as science writer. At Christmas I’ll have all three sons in the house at the same time. Trust me: I’ve got plenty to be grateful for.