Every Thanksgiving, we at Liz & Ellie Local ponder gratitude from a new angle. This year we are particularly grateful for humor—whether subtle, laugh-out-loud, silly, wicked, or clever, humor lifts our spirits in difficult moments and fills us with joy when times are good. With that in mind, here are some personal takes on what makes us laugh.

Liz

Last night my daughter arrived home for the holiday, and within ten minutes we were in helpless tears of laughter, watching a video I had made of Patti Smith in concert the night before, in which my filming skills were on rather unfortunate display. I had watched the video myself and hadn’t seen anything funny in the fact that Patti slowly drifted out of the frame while singing, “Then he put his head in the crux of his arm, And he started to drift….” But my daughter caught it right away, probably because her video would have been perfectly centered. Today I am reflecting on how lucky I am to have VERY funny children, both of them well-trained by their father, one of the funniest people I know.

Ellie

Humor is the most common trigger for genuine, spontaneous laughter. Think about watching a group of friends giggling together—it has that feeling of unadulterated release, when you can let go and just be completely vulnerable and relaxed. I love that feeling! My own sense of humor can be a bit snarky and sometimes very dark. I grew up laughing at Saturday Night Live skits with my sister, and I still enjoy them. The Onion scratches my itch for snark, and as an animal lover, I could scroll through Instagram reels of pets doing goofy things all day long.

Mae

This year, I’m especially thankful for sitcoms—those little worlds that never fail to make me laugh, lift my spirits, and remind me not to take life too seriously. Whether it’s Modern Family, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or any of my other favorites, these shows are my daily dose of joy and comfort. Even though I’m young and eager to explore the world, this year taught me to slow down and appreciate the simple pleasures, like laughing at the silly, relatable moments on screen, even while doing chores or eating (yes, I’m that “iPad kid” type of young adult).

We hope you can find the humor in everything that might go wrong this Thanksgiving and laugh with joy at everything that goes right!

With warmth and gratitude,

Liz, Ellie, and Mae

Liz & Ellie Local

Liz Lyster & Ellie Botshon

Residential Advisors

M: 617.444.9644

lizandellie@compass.com

lizandellie.com