Thanksgiving is Here!
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, with friends and family gathering, lots of fantastic food, and of course the big countdown to Christmas beginning. But in all this, have I forgotten where the holiday came from? What are its roots? Who is getting all the thanks? It seems that as I get older, as our society ‘progresses’, as time marches on, it is easy to forget where we came from in the comfort of where we are. This spurred me to dig into this a bit as I began to wonder if I had my facts straight or if I was missing the historical mark. The little bits of fact that I ran across led me to a few surprises that I had either forgot, or perhaps never heard:
1. Turkey was not the celebrated center of attention at the first Thanksgiving. According to a letter written regarding the event at the time, the Indians and Settlers ate venison, corn, and some wild bird. And of course mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie…oh, wait.
2. Thomas Jefferson thought the idea of a national Thanksgiving holiday a bad idea, and even called it ‘the most ridiculous idea ever conceived’
3. The actual ‘first’ recorded thanksgiving celebration took place in the panhandle of Texas in 1541, 80 years prior to the more famous event.
4. Americans will consume 535 million pounds of Turkey on an average Thanksgiving day. May as well undo the top button right now…
5. Often remembered as the Pilgrims thanking the Indians, the roots of this holiday shows us the Pilgrims thanking God for provision enough to survive the upcoming winter.
6. Whatever your take on the origins of the Holiday, setting aside a few minutes to take stock of the bountiful blessings we generally take for granted will make all the food and deserts taste that much better.
Thanksgiving is also widely known for one more thing. BLACK FIRDAY. And we're no exception. This weekend, we're having a sale you don't want to miss.
