Next week is Thanksgiving and a common tradition among many American families is to have everyone around the table take a moment and say what they’re thankful for. Family, friends, faith and life opportunities tend to steal the show in these speeches, so we at The University News would like to draw attention to some of the more unconventional things that we should be grateful for. Here are some thank-yous from the UNews, both typical and otherwise:

Dinner rolls!! It doesn’t matter if they are homemade or cracked out of a Pillsbury container, dinner rolls are undoubtedly the best dish at Thanksgiving. You can either load these bad boys up with butter, soak them in gravy or use as a boat to carry all the other fixings to your mouth. So gobble up and thank these carbohydrate bombs by saving them a seat right next to your plate. –Gabriele Geerts

I’m thankful for many things. Among them are: my family and friends, people that can make me laugh until my stomach hurts, Christmas music, Tegrity and Kit Kats. I’m also thankful for David Freese, Luke Bryan and Ryan Reynolds, in no particular order. Oh and I’m thankful for Youtube videos of puppies and babies because, let’s be honest, it doesn’t get any cuter than that! –Bri Radici

At any other point during the year, the pumpkin is the unattractive, less famous celebrity sibling in the world of produce. But every autumn, my heart is aflutter at the sight of pumpkin chocolate chip bread, pumpkin pasta, pumpkin Ted Drewes. So this year, I’d like to give a thankful shout-out to pumpkins. Carpe diem, pumpkins! This is your time to shine! As Marshall Mathers once said, “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo.” –Lizzie Bartek

Oh, Paula Deen, if only my mother’s chalky biscuits could bring together my family like your savory buttermilk delights do. Whether it’s to see what Italian wonders Giada is cooking up or what fat infused morsels Paula is plating, we’re tuning in to the Food Network together. Sometimes, we’ll even have a wild Friday night trying to recreate one of Giada’s miracles, in between slightly virile comments from dad of course. Thanks Food Network, for bringing us together and introducing me to the splendors of the culinary world. –Tony Traina

I am thankful for logic: I can’t claim mastery of it, and truthfully few can. Despite this, logic, in its infinite glory, keeps myself and those about me from the dangers of stupid as best it can. I can ask for no more. –Wolf Howard

Sometimes they make me angry (especially in St. Louis). Even so, I’m always thankful for roads. We take roads for granted, but the interstate system in our U.S. of A. is the greatest public works project in history. The open road both symbolizes and facilitates the American dream as I see it. Don’t like where you are? Get up and leave! And while I recognize the problems with our country’s car addiction, I can’t deny that there’s something invigorating about flying over pavement at highly-fuel-inefficient speeds, windows open and radio roaring. And thank God and the Department of Transportation for that. –Mike Hogan

Gravy. The seasoning of the season is what I am thankful for this holiday. It is impossible to complete a meal of dry turkey and lumpy potatoes, without adding gravy to the mix. Gravy is what makes things go down easier, it is what makes it OK that you did not get the wishbone. Gravy is what brings all of the flavors on the plate together; gravy is what brings the family together. –Emily Diehl