Going Up for Gratitude: What Elevators Can Teach Us About Thanksgiving
When most people think of Thanksgiving, they picture family gatherings, mashed potatoes, football on TV, and that one relative who insists on carving the turkey with dramatic flair. Elevators rarely make the list. But maybe they should. Because if you look closely, the simple elevator ride has more in common with Thanksgiving than you might expect.
At Olympic Elevator, we spend a lot of time thinking about how people move: moving between floors, moving through buildings, moving safely and reliably every day. But this time of year, we’re also reminded to think about how we move through life. and how gratitude, like a well-maintained elevator, can change the whole experience.
So take a ride with us. Let’s go floor-by-floor and see just how elevators and Thanksgiving intersect.
Ground Floor: The Things We Take for Granted
Most people don’t think about elevators unless they stop working. They’re background conveniences: quiet, reliable, always there when we push a button.
Thanksgiving works the same way. The holiday reminds us to notice the things we normally overlook: a warm house, a stocked fridge, a job we depend on, people who check in when they don’t have to. When something runs smoothly, it’s easy to forget someone’s behind it, whether that’s a maintenance technician or a grandmother peeling potatoes since 6 a.m.
The first step to gratitude is realizing how many things quietly support us.
Floor 2: The Importance of Maintenance
Elevators don’t stay safe and smooth by accident. Without inspections, lubrication, part replacements, and compliance checks, even the best-built lift can become unreliable.
Gratitude works the same way. If we don’t maintain it. If we don’t pause to notice good moments or speak appreciation out loud, it fades. Thanksgiving isn’t about a single meal. It’s a yearly tune-up reminding us to care for what matters, instead of assuming it will always work.
Just like we service an elevator to extend its life, we “service” relationships when we say thank you.
Floor 3: Everyone’s Ride Looks Different
Some elevators are sleek glass high-rises overlooking the skyline. Some are freight lifts in the back of a warehouse. They all have a purpose, even if the view is different.
Some Thanksgivings are big, all-day family events with 20 guests and a folding chair emergency. Others are quiet take-out dinners, Friendsgiving potlucks, or Zoom meals shared across states. What matters isn’t how fancy or traditional it is. It’s that you arrived, and you’re sharing time with people who matter.
There’s no “right way” to ride an elevator or celebrate gratitude; only the way that gets you where you’re going.
Floor 4: Up, Down, and Holding the Door for Others
Elevators are one of the great equalizers: everyone shares the same space and pushes the same buttons. The difference often comes in how people behave inside them. whether they hold the door, make room, or pretend to be deeply engrossed in the ceiling tiles.
Thanksgiving is a holiday about sharing, but generosity doesn't need a dining table. It's in letting someone else have the last dinner roll, or giving up the aisle seat at the family football game. Or yes, literally holding the elevator door instead of hitting “close” while insisting “Sorry, it’s broken.”
Kindness is always a choice, and often the simplest one.
Floor 5: The Journey Is Part of the Story
You never take an elevator just to stay in it. It’s a transition between the parking garage and the office, between the lobby and the view, between where you were and where you’re heading next.
Thanksgiving is that moment between Halloween chaos and December holidays. A resting floor. A pause. A deep breath. A reminder that every year takes us somewhere new, and that slowing down (even briefly, before the gravy boats collide) has value.
If life is a building, Thanksgiving is the “Stop and Appreciate” button.
Penthouse Level: Gratitude Goes Up
At Olympic Elevator, we’re grateful for every building that trusts us, every customer who calls us before there's a problem instead of after (we love you the most), every technician who climbs into a machine room before sunrise, and every passenger who has a smooth, safe ride because someone cared enough to maintain the machinery they’ll never see.
So this Thanksgiving, we challenge you:
Before you go up for that second serving of pie, take a moment for a mental elevator ride.
What worked quietly in the background for you this year?
Who held a door open… literally or metaphorically?
What got you from one floor of life to the next, even when you didn’t notice?
Say thank you. Out loud. Send the message. Clap the technician. Hug the cook. A little gratitude can take us all a level higher.
From Everyone at Olympic Elevator
We’re proud to keep people moving safely year-round, and even more proud to be part of a community that notices the details that make daily life smoother.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. And remember: whether you’re going up, going down, or just waiting in the lobby, there’s always something to be thankful for.
