NPR News

Sarah and Yael Levintin raised their wine glasses to the sky and toasted the Iron Dome system that had just been deployed outside Israel's commercial center.

The two sisters decided to leave their apartment Friday evening after two rockets fired into the Tel Aviv area were successfully intercepted by the system.

"We had stayed home all day because we didn't want to take the chance that, you know, we'd be away from the bomb shelter," said Yael Levintin. "We aren't used to war. I guess we are kind of babies about it."

Thanksgiving happens every year. Every year. Yet this big holiday manages to sneak up on us sometimes. Yes, it's a little early this year (November's fourth Thursday falls on the 22nd rather than, say, the 28th), and maybe those couple of extra shopping days before Christmas will be a good thing. But if you're hosting Thanksgiving dinner, it's scramble time.

For the sake of argument, let's agree that when we use the word "inauguration" in this particular post, we are talking about the multiday, ball-bestrewn, soiree-soaked, tuxedo-dappled extravaganza that costs tens of millions of dollars and often leaves many Americans out in the cold — figuratively and literally.