I hope it goes without saying that I love my family, I'm fond of my friends, and I'm grateful for everything I have in life. But this is an investing site, and there are also a few equities I'd like to tip my hat to as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. Some I own, and others have taught me valuable lessons, but I'm thankful for them all.

As I do at the table, please allow me to dig right in.

Disney (NYSE:DIS)
You never forget your first stock. I was in the process of switching majors, from journalism to business, when my college girlfriend gave me a single share of Disney. My interest in the stock market was distant at best, but she knew how important Disney was in my life, since I came from a family that made monthly treks to Walt Disney World.

Checking the stock's close as an occasional novelty and diving into the annual reports began to whet my appetite for more than just the business and M.B.A. courses I would eventually take. That one small gift turned me into an investor.

I maintain a "buy and hold" strategy here, since I still own the stock and married the girl.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX)
I've been a Netflix shareholder and subscriber since 2002. Beyond making back my initial investment several times over, Netflix taught me that changing your mind can be lucrative.

I bashed the DVD-rental specialist shortly after its 2002 springtime IPO. What I saw was a company for which churn was too high and the barriers to entry too low. It struck me as just a glorified mail-order business in a niche that seemed better suited for fulfillment immediacy.

My initial bearishness was vindicated, as Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and Blockbuster (NYSE:BBI) quickly jumped into the market, while Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) eventually followed suit abroad.

I changed my tune as subsequent selloffs made me re-evaluate the company from a contrarian's perspective. I bought in several months later, after kicking the tires for myself. Despite having to wait for rentals and dealing with weak availability on new issues, I could see how this service would become indispensible to couch potatoes. Online streaming is now the icing on the cake.

Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI)
I don't own shares of the satellite-radio giant, but I may as well thank it for a welcome lesson in humility.

I figured Sirius XM would once again be shedding subscribers sequentially in its latest quarter. I had correctly predicted sequential dips in each of the two previous quarters, and thought I had a pretty good read on the company. More pain, I figured.

Well, I was wrong. Sirius XM surprised investors by posting breakeven results and closing out its third quarter with 102,295 more subscribers than it started with. It still has a way to go before it catches up with last year's subscriber peak, but the company is on firmer financial footing these days and milking more out of every subscriber.

Crocs (NASDAQ:CROX)
I didn't buy Crocs at the top. I didn't sell it at the bottom. However, I still lost a decent chunk of change in the middle.

I should have listened when fellow Fools warned of inventory buildups, warehouse-club dumping, and other telltale signs that the company's cozy yet funky shoes were slipping in popularity.

I haven't completely turned my back on Crocs. I was encouraged by its latest quarterly report, as the company posted a profit, with foreign sales offsetting stateside weakness. However, I'm going to just root the company on as a spectator this time.

It's cheaper that way.

What stocks are you thankful for this year? Share your holiday love in the comment box below.