When we first moved to a small town in England years ago, I went down to the local butcher shop to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving. I was quite insistent that our family would celebrate the holiday even though England doesn't.

As I ordered a turkey the butcher pointed toward the ceiling and asked, "What size?" Hanging by their necks from hooks in the ceiling were dozens of turkeys and pheasants hung in preparation for the Christmas holidays. No frozen Butterballs® in this shop.

I asked the butcher, "Mr. Brooks, will you take the feathers off?"

"Yes madam," he replied.

"Mr. Brooks, will you remove the innards?" I asked.

"Yes madam," he replied.

"And will you take the head off?" while staring at the vertical birds aloft.

"You Americans!" he exclaimed, "Madam, this will be the finest turkey you've ever tasted!"

Well, I wouldn't say it was the finest, but it was definitely different. Sometimes you don't realize what you've have until it's gone.

Sometimes the lesson learned was that you'll never celebrate another one like the last one so when you wake up the next day, you appreciate wherever you call home even more. While living overseas I learned that as much as I love the holidays, the world does not revolve around them so holidays are what you make of them.

When I look back over the Thanksgivings I've celebrated, it doesn't matter what table I sat down to; tradition is what binds family whether we're together or not. Tradition is in bowing our heads to give thanks and it's in the traditional recipes that are must-haves — like my Mom's green Jell-O® mold.

This year was an exciting one for FIRE CHIEF. We celebrated our 50th anniversary with an incredible anniversary issue in October. Our Station Style conference was a sold-out success in April and March's Keys to Leadership Legal Seminar was intense and rewarding. FIRE CHIEF's advertisers are the best in the industry and we thank each of them for their support and commitment to our mission and our readers.

I'm thankful for FIRE CHIEF's hard-working editorial staff, well-respected sales force and an amazing production team. Each month the magazine, e-newsletters and Web sites come together because of their dedication and commitment to you.

Thank you for being part of our FIRE CHIEF family. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and bless those who are working or not with us for this holiday.

Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
janet@firechief.com