Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the U.S. and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings. The original purpose was New England and Virginia colonists that celebrated days of fasting, days of thanksgiving, thanking God for their blessings. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 over a three day harvest festival. The attended were 50 pilgrims, 90 Wampanoag Indians and only and only 5 woman with no turkey on the menu. Thanksgiving was observed as a national holiday on October 3, 1863 when Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving. In 1623, the first religious Thanksgiving day in Plymouth was recorded and on that occasion the colonists gave thanks to God for rain after a two months drought. By 1857, turkey had become a part of the traditional dinner as Thanksgiving day rose in population during the 1800’s. Now more than 46 million turkeys are eaten. Whoa, that’s a lot of turkey. Over the years, we have included a range of foods that are added to our Thanksgiving meal such as stuffing, cranberry, sauce, mash potatoes, pumpkin pie and all sorts of other foods we love to indulge.
Thanksgiving is a holiday that everyone can enjoy. It’s a time for family gatherings and enjoying the palatable foods of this joyous holiday. Depending upon your culture, foods can sometimes vary. For instance, my culture is Italian and pasta is always included in the menu. Personally, I find that to be a bit much because the turkey and trimmings is enough to satiate you for hours. You end up feeling stuffed like the turkey. I’m sure other cultures have foods that they too include. Whatever the case the case may be, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is the time you spend with your family and the memories you create by just being together. Lets face it, with everyone’s busy schedule, the holidays are the only time you get to see one another. I love Thanksgiving although it’s a very difficult time for me now due to the loss of my mom. Our family tradition was Thanksgiving at my parents. Certain years, like this year, Thanksgiving falls on my dad’s birthday. We would include a birthday cake and gifts for him. He really liked that. I live on those memories and God helps me to stay strong and make the best of the holidays. A lot of work is put into the holidays and it’s so worth it.
Now that we know some historical facts about Thanksgiving and how it originated and the extraordinary foods that are encompassed on this holiday. The gathering of family and enjoying a wonderful feast. That’s certainly something to be thankful for. Remember to be thankful to God not only on Thanksgiving but everyday of your life. There’s always something to be grateful for. Gratitude is always the best attitude.
And for my fellow Christians, this is the beginning of a special season that leads us to Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. A very festive and busy time of the year.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope all of you have a great holiday! Stay safe and remember not to drink and drive. May God bless all of you and your families.
Thank You God Prayer
For all You have given, Thank you God
For all You have withheld, Thank you God
For all You have withdrawn, Thank you God
For all You have permitted, Thank you God
For all You have prevented, Thank you God
For all You have forgiven me, Thank You God
For all You have prepared for me, Thank You God
For the death You have chosen for me, Thank You God
For the place You are keeping for me in heaven, Thank You God
For having created me to love for You for eternity, Thank You God
