This Thanksgiving, in addition to the turkey and the stuffing, millions of Americans will also bring their gratitude to the dinner table.


Giving thanks does more than just pay lip service to the things we appreciate. Expressing gratitude is a natural stress-buster[1] , makes us feel more connected to others[2] and even improves our fitness[3] . And gratitude doesn't just affect adults -- research has found that practicing the habit in schools improves students' grades and reduces stress in the classroom[4] .


In the spirit of giving thanks (and since it's so good for our health!), we asked HuffPost staffers to share what they're truly grateful for this year. Take a look at the responses below -- then tell us in the comments what you're thankful for in 2013.


Happy Thanksgiving from The Huffington Post!



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  • "I'm thankful for my two daughters Christina and Isabella!" - Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-In-Chief




  • "I’m thankful that we live in a time, and operate in a field, rife with innovation -- and work at a company that knows when to embrace that innovation, and when to hold fast to the things that have made us successful. I’m thankful to the 10,500+ people, from over 90 countries, who have joined HuffPost Live as on-air guests -- and that they have added such interesting ideas and perspectives to the national conversation. I’m thankful for all the people who made me laugh this year -- intentionally or inadvertently (yes, that includes you Rob Ford and Ted Cruz). And I’m deeply thankful that my teenage kids still want to hang out with me on the weekends, and that my fabulous wife somehow continues to enjoy my company, 23 years in." - Roy Sekoff, President and Co-Creator, HuffPost Live




  • "This year, I am thankful for my family, my son who means the world to me, my friends, my amazing boyfriend Mike and for reaching my one year here at work." - Meaghan Carlisle, Special Ops Moderator




  • "This Thanksgiving, I feel especially lucky to be living in the greatest city in the world with my best friend since sixth grade. Even though I make fun of her questionable music taste (pretty sure no one actually listens to Ashanti anymore besides her), Michelle (left) is one of my biggest cheerleaders. There is no one else who I'd rather get stranded at a Dunkin' Donuts in the Bronx during a torrential downpour, have Whole Foods dinner dates or go to #Yeezus concerts with. Thanks for always being my plus-one in life -- no matter what." - Taylor Trudon, Deputy Editor, HuffPost Teen




  • "I'm thankful for my brave parents who risked everything to immigrate to the U.S., and for my beautiful, smart and hilarious sisters." - Lena Auerbuch, PR/Communications Associate




  • "This year I find myself grateful for a lot of things, but foremost on my mind is the lessons I've learned this year (many of which came all at once, over the first few weeks of November). Much as I might regret the necessity of those very difficult experiences, they have been well-learned and will hold me in good stead for the rest of my life. I'm grateful that these hard lessons came at a time in my life when they could do the most good. I'm also thankful for amazing co-workers, the best friend a girl could ask for (18 years and counting!), and a big, fat tuxedo cat named Dax who keeps me sane." - Paige Harmes, Lead Moderator/Moderation Co-Manager




  • "I'm thankful that I am getting married to the most wonderful person. Seriously, no one, least of all me, thought this would happen. " - Marc Janks, Photo Operations Assistant




  • "I’m grateful for garden gnomes, cuckoo clocks, climbing trees with gnarled branches, and moss. For coffee and chai, nutmeg and cinnamon. For citron yellow, magenta, map-water blue, chartreuse, and a bright orange shag rug in the living room. For oatmeal, bananas, green smoothies, my husband’s Magic Meals, and enchiladas. For my kids finding fennel and chewing the stems all day like Huck Finn. For lanterns hanging in trees. For all the libraries I have known and loved, which became my hiding spots and my fantasy corners and the places where I built myself. For Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers singing “Islands in the Stream.” I’m thankful for vintage lamps. For the freshly-brushed teeth. I’m thankful for tall glasses of cold water, and Mason jars of whiskey sipped with friends on the porch in the nighttime. I’m thankful for the pleasure of walking aimlessly. For thrift store velvet. For striped socks, picture books about witches, and for snow-capped mountains I can see from certain vantage points in my neighborhood. For the remarkable cities I have called home. For fireflies. For my chickens: Mary, Rhoda, Phyllis, Chamomile, Clover, and Hilda. For stacks of books on the nightstand. For Jitterbug Perfume and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. For low-watt incandescent bulbs. For patches on old embroidered denim. For star-printed fabric and pictures of the moon in all its phases. And I’m thankful for our wall heater that’s like a fireplace and a gathering spot for our family when we hear its click-whoosh. We meet there. I’m so thankful for them -- my four, my loves. And our heat, and our home, which is strung with lights and filled with magic." - Corbyn Hightower, Community Moderator and Blogger




  • "I'm thankful that trying out the wackiest workouts I can find is part of my job description." - Sarah Klein, Health and Fitness Editor




  • "This year, I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to live in NYC (a dream of mine for years), my phenomenal family and friends (who listened to me whine about how badly I wanted to live in NYC for years) and a job that makes me look forward to coming into work every day." - Lindsay Holmes, Associate Editor, GPS for the Soul




  • "I'm thankful for our dog, Bobby. Her furry face brings us so much joy everyday. And I'm thankful for the rescue group who saved her life and brought her all the way from Alabama to New York." - Alison Zack, Senior Designer




  • "For my incredibly supportive family that I don't deserve but am forever grateful for." - Daniel Koh, General Manager, HuffPost Live




  • "I'm thankful for the way the New York City skyline looks when I bike over the Williamsburg bridge, for Four Barrel coffee from a french press in the morning, for that one tree on my block that still has its autumn leaves, that I get to spend Thanksgiving in Cape Cod with my dad and 85-year-old grandpa and Christmas in San Francisco with my mom and little brother and New Year's in Tahoe with my best friends." - Carly Schwartz, Deputy National Editor




  • "I got married in October and am thankful for my wonderful, loving, supportive and understanding husband." - Asya Alshansky, Account Executive




  • "What I'm thankful for: My family, my friends and this hilarious picture from my family's holiday pictures... #awkwardfamilyphotos." - Alexa Sachs, Coordinator, Business Support and Special Projects




  • "I'm grateful to have joined the HuffPost team this year. Being at a leading company in the media industry is uncomfortably exciting, because you constantly see great opportunities but also run into existential strategic threats. On top of that, being in the news sector, you get to go home everyday feeling like you did a small part to defend democracy. Being at HuffPost in particular is special because we are looked at as a place that's creating new models for the industry. I hear it from partners every day: they want to know what we are up to and how and we can work together. And it's from a wide swath of the media industry: from international newspapers, cable and broadcast networks, and ad-tech startups, to well-established news organizations and social enterprise startups. I'm thankful that I get to represent HuffPost to all these awesome partners. Plus, this is a place where I don't get funny looks when I talk about the importance of sleep and my passion for yoga!" - Yaoshiang Ho, Vice President, Head of Business Development




  • "I'm thankful for my two wonderful daughters, whose strength and generosity of spirit has helped me through this past year. I'm thankful for my little HuffPo community who have inspired and helped me and others in ways they'll never know." - Tracey Kirkland, Comment Moderator




  • "I'm thankful for the ability to have options in my life -- the opportunity to choose, explore, experiment, and make mistakes. For that, I thank my family. My family, and the limitless possibilities of creativity." -Karin Swanson, Ignite Good Fellow




  • "This year I'm thankful for so many things, but I'm especially grateful for my (not-so-little-anymore) little brother, who I admire for his strength and determination -- and his great sense of humor." - Laura Schocker, Executive Editor, Healthy Living




  • "I am thankful for my family, my health and all four of my pets!" - Jordan Schultz, Sports Columnist




  • "That my oldest child is coming home from college for six days. It feels like forever since the last week of August, when he left for Boston." - Shelley Emling, Senior Editor, Huff/Post 50




  • "I'm thankful for my bicycle, an overactive imagination, an incurable case of wanderlust and an expanding collection of Lonely Planet guidebooks, all of which inspired me to visit places like San Francisco, Cape Cod and Maine this year." - Curtis Wong, Associate Gay Voices Editor




  • "I am thankful for running in the crisp fall air!" - Meg Miller, Associate Producer, HuffPost Live




  • "I'm thankful for getting to see the world through my 3-year-old daughter's eyes. Here is 'A Fall Day' with a tree, the sun and a kitty holding a lollipop." - Farah Miller, Managing Editor, HuffPost Parents




  • "I don't know where I would be without my friends and family. At this point they are truly one and the same." - Brooke Stein, Director, Product Marketing




  • "I'm incredibly thankful for all the love and support of my family, especially my mom. Also for my beautiful nephews: Simon, Michael, Jordan and Nate. To Good Health! PLUS, being able to recently bring my 'unique set of skills' [Movie Ref: Taken] and passion to come work at HuffPost. Not to mention my 14.5 year old, full of life dog, Mini! I'm also thankful for those working hard for daily for #worldpeace! #happythanksgivukkah2013" - Matthew Rappaport, Google+ Fellow




  • "I am thankful for my family and friends -- and this little fella most of all." - Marcia Greenblatt, Sales Director




  • "I'm thankful for my annoyingly perfect family and friends, the opportunity to work here at HuffPost, cheap boxed wine, my fat beagle, leggings as pants and Instagram filters." - Jane Janeczko, Editorial Intern, Huffington Post - New York




  • "Fashion changes, but a family's steez is forever. Thankful to my family for a ton of things, including valuing traveling as a form of education." - Seamus McKiernan, Blog Editor, Special Projects




  • "I'm thankful for this sweet face, which has already taught me a lot about priorities and makes me smile every single day." - Amanda Schumacher, VP, Lifestyle Communications & Partnerships




  • "The opportunity to have new experiences and meet new people in NYC." - Rachael Grannell, Editorial Intern, Healthy Living




  • "I am so grateful for this happy and healthy little bunny that makes my heart so full every day." - Ashley McAdams, Senior Editor, Locals




  • "I'm thankful to have a family who makes me feel loved and supported, even from 2,500 miles away." - Amanda Chan, Senior Editor, Health News




  • "I'm thankful for my sister-friend Luwam. I can always count on her to raise my spirits, share a few laughs, support my dreams and tackle the sale racks like nobody's business." - Dana Oliver, Senior Beauty Editor




  • "I'm thankful that Huffington Post has given me: the job of my dreams, a new infatuation with grammar, warehouse concerts in the middle of the day complete with free beer... and a new friend, who loves pizza and g-chatting just as much as I do." - Megan Mayer, Social Media Fellow




  • "I have many things to be thankful for this year -- from working for a great company alongside amazing, talented colleagues, to my wonderful friends and family. But above all, I am thankful for my younger siblings, Edgar and Lisette, who inspire me to be fearless and thrive. Thank you!" - Marcos Saldivar, Associate Editor




  • "I am thankful for an awesome group of friends who have stayed with me since our days in middle and high school. Oh when the hills... #Friendsgiving" - Ethan Fedida, Associate Editor, Social Media/Vertical Editor, Crime & Weird News




  • "I'm thankful for my 93-year-old grandmother, Dorothy Brooks, who's served as the most loving and caring matriarch of the Boston Brooks family for as long as I can remember." - Katherine Brooks, Arts & Culture Editor




  • "I'm thankful for the unwavering support of my friends and family, who continue to encourage me to pursue my dreams. I'm grateful be in a field I love and to work and live in New York City, which never ceases to amaze me while easing me out of my comfort zone." - Madeline Wahl, Comment Moderator




  • "I'm thankful for new Muppet movies, New York City bars that sell drinks for less than $5, days off and sleeping in rather than shopping on Black Friday." -- Tyler Kingkade, Associate Editor




  • "This year -- along with every other year -- I am so thankful for my family. Celebrating my parents' 30th wedding anniversary is not something many children get to do. So I am thankful for the amazing and loving relationship my parents have. And how they've taught my sister and me to accept nothing less." - Alanna Vagianos, Editorial Fellow, HuffPost Women




  • "This year, I'm so thankful for my yoga practice, which for more than 8 years now has helped keep me calm and centered, no matter how crazy life gets, and reminds me to engage from a place of gratitude and abundance. And I'm grateful for the wonderful people -- teachers, fellow teacher trainees, and great friends -- that yoga has brought into my life." - Carolyn Gregoire, Features Editor, Healthy Living




  • "I'm thankful for these two happy, healthy, naughty little people." - Teri D'Angelo, Projects Director




  • "I am thankful for my amazing team! Getting to work alongside some of the smartest, most passionate people on a day to day basis is truly a blessing. I am thankful that I work at a company committed to social innovation and social impact. Thankful for my family and friends who embrace and accept me. Thankful for this moment." - Brian Sirgutz, SVP, Social Impact




  • "This year especially I'm thankful to have such an amazing support crew -- made up of friends, family, and strangers I'm now able to call my NEW friends and family. I couldn't have asked for a better 2013. And although it's not over yet, I know that this has been one of the most amazing years of my life -- filled with love (so much love), support, encouragement, and true, lasting friendships. A special shout out to Justin for making so many of my dreams a reality and being patient with me and offering guidance when I needed it most. Obviously, not everyone is pictured here, but I'm thankful for you all. Everyday. Not just when it's required by the pilgrims. And to add a Thanksgiving Resolution (it's going to become a thing, just wait), I will tell you how much I'm thankful for you more often!" - Raydene Salinas, Staff Photographer, Photo Editor of HuffPost Home and HuffPost Style




  • "I'm incredibly grateful to call this kooky bunch of folks my family." - Tessa Gould, Director, HuffPost Partner Studio




  • "I am thankful for my new puppy, Norman!" - Hannah Volkman, Account Director / Ad Sales




  • "I am thankful for my passport and all of the life changing journeys I've been on. I'm thankful for my loving and supportive boyfriend, who has truly been a blessing in my life since 2009. I'm thankful for my amazing friends, that I consider family for their constant inspiration and encouragement. And I'm especially thankful for music and Bravo's line up of reality shows for keeping me sane and entertained." - Choyce Miller, HuffPost Live Community Moderator