As we well know, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of a season when most of us get most of what we ask for. The holiday season of 2006, for example, started with many people camping out at the doors of electronics stores to purchase their heart's desire, a video game. We hope all the people

who were willing to brave days and nights outdoors on line for this particular item were able to purchase it and we wish them all the happiness it can bring them.

We would do well to bear in mind, though, that good fortune carries obligations with it. In the midst of our own prosperity, it is appropriate for us to remember those less fortunate than ourselves. One of the many organizations which embody this philosophy is the Greek-American Homeowners Association, which serves free Thanksgiving dinner to anyone who walks in the door of their headquarters on 31st Street. This year Mayor Bloomberg spent some time dishing out turkey and all the trimmings to the association's guests as part of a schedule of similar activities all over the city on what couldn't have been a holiday

for him. His activities are the more admirable when one considers that the mayor-who under the term limits law cannot succeed himself for a third term and therefore has no need to worry about what the polls and pundits say of him-could easily satisfy public opinion by writing a check and then in good conscience stay home.

Bloomberg and other elected officials- and organizations such as the Greek American Homeowners and the volunteer staffs of other soup kitchens and food pantries across the city-illustrate anew the maxim that true charity means giving of oneself. In this season when many of us are blessed with a generous share of the world's goods, we do well to remember those less fortunate in whatever ways we can.