Thanksgiving is so called because we are all so thankful that it only comes once a year.

P. J. O’Rourke’s line is a characteristically sardonic twist on a holiday associated with gratitude and abundance. By pretending to praise Thanksgiving—“so thankful”—while immediately adding that we’re grateful it happens only annually, he punctures the sentimentality surrounding the day. The joke hinges on the double meaning of “thankful”: not thankful for blessings, but thankful for the holiday’s limited frequency, implying that the rituals (family tensions, overeating, forced cheer, travel stress) can be endured only in small doses. The quip functions as social commentary, using humor to acknowledge the gap between idealized tradition and lived experience.