How to celebrate thanksgiving

100 family historians say Thanksgiving 2020 is cancelled and share how to virtually celebrate

100 family historians say Thanksgiving 2020 is cancelled and share how to virtually celebrate from afar

IRVINE, Calif. (PRWEB) August 10, 2020

Family historians across the country, preparing for the inevitable cancellation of Thanksgiving this year, share seven ways to surround yourself with cherished activities to celebrate from afar to keep keep families together virtually.

The ScanMyPhotos.com poll of 100 family historians paints a grim picture this Fall, as Americans will radically change their behavior in light of the pandemic. While some will bend the rules, most families are predicted to stay at home, creating “virtual Thanksgiving” gatherings — but how?

“It’s likely that families and friends will prepare special activities for online participation, including online viewing parties, gaming, and eating together while apart. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that distant relatives will have equal footing with more local ones,” said Mitch Goldstone, CEO at ScanMyPhotos.com.

Learn what even those who aren’t tech-savvy can do to prepare for this upcoming season of togetherness, even when it will be spent apart. ScanMyPhotos.com is connected with families across the nation as their digital photo archivist service. The regular engagements with people who had their decades-past pictures scanned are the best group to ask what plans they have for the holidays.

The regular engagements with people who had their decades-past pictures scanned are the best group to ask what plans they have for the holidays.

As Americans swelter in the summer heat with masks on, thoughts of Fall aren’t far away. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving as we know it has been cancelled — but that may be a good thing. ScanMyPhotos polled 100 family historians for their perspective, and found that Americans are most likely to resort to virtual Thanksgiving gatherings. This could actually benefit more distant relatives, as they would be able to connect just like everyone else.

This human connection is difficult to blend. For example, it’s common for friends and family to connect during the Thanksgiving holiday, but there’s usually the awkward moment where someone uses Skype, FaceTime, Google Meet, or Zoom to connect while the rest of the family attempts to crowd around a phone.

This year, since more people will be stuck at home, the playing field is even. Everyone will be awkward. But it will allow relatives who might not usually be able to attend in person to attend the party. It could also provide welcome relief to elderly relatives in nursing homes.

If there’s another silver lining it’s that the entertainment possibilities will be posted online in real time. Saturday Night Live made the best of a quarantined season, as has the film industry with movies like Mulan going straight to online distribution in lieu of theatrical runs. It’s possible an army of YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram stars will be born in the isolation of this year’s Thanksgiving. Although the existing stars will no doubt capitalize on the moment as well, especially in lieu of this year’s live tour plans.

Because traditional Thanksgiving parties are canceled, there are ways to gather online for holiday reunions virtually. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time filled with family and joy. Often it is the only time during the year when the entire family gathers together.

7 Ways to Surround Yourself with Cherished Moments to Celebrate Thanksgiving From Afar

1) Visit Virtually, Online: Send invitations to your friends and the entire family to gather at a specific time during Thanksgiving for a virtual video call celebration while everyone is safe at home. “Zoom” live-action during your turkey dinner. Share stories. Watch and listen to the collective conversations to celebrate with your siblings, parents, distant relatives, and friends. Technology will unite and connect without ever leaving home. Make sure everyone understands how and when to log in.

2) Share Decades-Past Snapshots: Gather and digitize your old-school photos snapshots to reminisce and narrate the stories behind past Thanksgiving dinners and share the stories behind the memories when you cannot be together in person.

3) Select a Game For Everyone To Play: Jackbox is a gaming service that allows you to Facetime with your friends while playing virtual games.

4) Virtual Memory Wheel: Connects and gets everyone to engage. Become part of the story, while socially distancing. Have everyone select ten of their all-time most memorable pictures from past Thanksgivings and family gatherings. Share all the pictures online, and narrates the story behind the photos.

5) Smile, It is Family Photo Time: Take a family photo, complete with all virtual guests. Use a collage photo app to assemble each picture into a family keepsake and order photo gifts for everyone.

6) Guess Who? Cards: Have everyone submit two anonymous memes or message cards describing something excellent and unusual that happened to them in 2020. Add a third card with an aspiration for something they had hoped to do in 2020 but were unable to do. And one more identifying the best book, favorite TV show, movie, song, or event they enjoyed during the past 12 months. Then have everyone guess who wrote each Guess Who?

7) Prepare Before. Send a gift and traditional dessert before Thanksgiving. Mail matching bouquets and a favorite family dessert to all your guests to enjoy together during your interactive Zoom party.

Major retailers already announced they would close on Thanksgiving. Many others are doing without the traditional day after “Black Friday” sales as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Parades are not the only canceled tradition. Large Thanksgiving dinners are out too.

For those seeking an opt-out to escape family drama, the excuse why you cannot visit in person during Thanksgiving has already been made. No explanation is needed. Multi-generational families, separated by distance and time apart, can instead all gather together online.

As a non-denominational, secular holiday, Thanksgiving is arguably the most celebrated holiday in the US and it may be the most important dinner of the year. But, for those who are traveling or studying abroad in the US on the fourth Thursday of November and experiencing their first Thanksgiving, it can be a totally foreign holiday.

Here’s how to celebrate Thanksgiving in the US – a nd even if you’re not in the States, how you can bring a little bit of Thanksgiving magic to wherever you are in the world:

1. What are we celebrating?

Thanksgiving is a celebration of the close family and friends in our lives and the fall harvest. At its heart, the holiday holds a deep sense of gratitude. It is as it sounds, a day to “give thanks.”

2. The history of Thanksgiving

While there is not complete historical consensus on when or where America’s first Thanksgiving meal took place, the holiday celebration is most commonly cited to have originated in 1621 in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The story goes that after the Mayflower’s arrival at Plymouth Rock on December 11th, 1620, the Pilgrims (British separatists) lost 46 of their original 102 colonists. But, with the help of the Wampanoag Indians, they learned to care for their crops and survive the cold of their first winter in the New World.

The summer of 1621 yielded a bountiful harvest. To celebrate, a traditional English (or potentially Native American) three-day harvest festival was organized to commemorate the magnanimous event.

While there are different historical accounts of the number of natives and pilgrims who actually attended the celebration, the sentiment is that the settlers wanted to show their gratitude to the natives for their help by hosting a large feast.

Given the long and bloody history of conflict between Native Americans and European settlers, there is natural tension behind the validity of this claim .

3. How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?

Now that you’re schooled up on the history of Thanksgiving, let’s fast forward a few centuries to modern-day Thanksgiving. Here’s a Thanksgiving day timeline:

9-10:00am | Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

Turn on the live stream or find your spot on the street as you watch giant helium balloons, floats, and marching bands parade through the streets of New York City.

10:00am-12:00pm | Go to the store

Thanksgiving, like most holidays in the US, is either a day off or short day for employees. Luckily, grocery stores are usually open for the first half of the day, so make sure you get to the store early to pick up all the ingredients you’ll need to start cooking.

12-1:00pm | Watch the presidential turkey pardon

Yep, you read that right, beginning in the mid-20th century, the President of the United States has “pardoned” one or two Thanksgiving turkeys each year, sparing the birds from slaughter.

All day | Watch American football

Thanksgiving day football games are an essential part of the American Thanksgiving experience. It is a great chance to cheer for your favorite team and a good distraction from the fact that you’re probably not eating lunch. After all, you’re going to need to be HUNGRY once dinner time rolls around.

All day | Cook, cook, cook

Preparing a proper Thanksgiving meal can take hours, sometimes even days, depending on what dishes you’re preparing and how many people you’re serving. Just the turkey alone takes at least 20 minutes for every pound, adding up to nearly five hours in the oven for the biggest birds.

6-10:00pm | Eat more than you thought was humanly possible

It’s probably not surprising that there’s an American holiday based solely around eating, but it might be surprising how much eating you can actually do if you put your mind to it.

4. What’s for Thanksgiving dinner?

Turkey

For most non-vegetarian households, the turkey takes front and center at the Thanksgiving feast. Whether it’s roasted, smoked, brined, or fried, achieving that perfect blend of crackled outer skin and moist inner meat is an art.

Stuffing

Before you even put the turkey in the oven, you have to stuff it with cornbread, onions, celery, and dried cranberries. After hours cooking in the cavity of the turkey, the “stuffing” comes out delightfully moist and meaty with sweet undertones.

Cranberry sauce

Tart and sweet, cranberry sauce acts like Indian chutney to bring out the savory, juicy flavor of the turkey. Avoid the canned variety with this easy recipe from our Thanksgiving for beginners guide.

Gravy

Once you’ve removed the turkey from the oven, it’s gravy time. Made from the drippings on the bottom of the pan, turkey gravy is a meaty sauce that can be applied liberally across nearly every part of the Thanksgiving meal.

Mashed potatoes

Where else would you put that gravy? Smothered in the meaty gravy sauce, mashed potatoes are maybe the most delicious (and filling) dish on the Thanksgiving dinner menu.

Pumpkin pie

Seasonal, sweet, and satisfying, homemade pumpkin pie is the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert. But after going back for seconds or even thirds of turkey and ‘taters, it may be the most difficult dish for you to finish. But don’t worry! If you don’t finish on the night of, there’s always breakfast on Friday.

Speaking of leftovers, the Thanksgiving feast doesn’t end on Thursday night. With so much food, you’ll be eating turkey sandwiches, burritos, and casseroles for the rest of the weekend.

5. Black Friday & Cyber Monday

After stuffing yourself silly on Thanksgiving Thursday, it’s time to shop yourself silly on Black Friday. Seen as the unofficial beginning of the Holiday shopping season, Black Friday is famous in the US for deep discounts and general hysteria as people run from one store to the next in search of the best deals.

Thankfully for those of us who don’t like crowds, Cyber Monday was invented as the online shopping equivalent on the following Monday – and increasingly a big deal all over the world.

While this may seem like a lot to do, eat, and buy during your first Thanksgiving in the US, it’s important to remember what the original intent of the holiday was – to give thanks. By gathering in grateful appreciation with friends and family, Thanksgiving brings us together and helps us remember that moment, nearly 400 years ago, when two very different cultures came together to give thanks and enjoy a harvest feast.

Practicing Social Distancing this Thanksgiving?

We have included lots of ways to keep traditions alive, even if you aren’t all in the same place this year.

How to Celebrate Thanksgiving Virtually!

If you are in a state or country that is currently dealing with the need to socially distance it can be a tough time during the holidays.

Loneliness and missing family and friends are real emotions many of us are dealing with. With a little help from my friends I’ve put together a list of lots of ideas that can help keep the fun and feelings of togetherness this year.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

This post may contain affiliate links. My full disclosure policy can be found here .

Family Thanksgiving Contests

If you have a competitive family, these socially distanced contests will get the family competing while staying safe.

1. Front Porch Decorating Contest

Each family decorates their porch for thanksgiving. All families judge each other’s creations and the winners win a prize (or just bragging rights).

If everyone is local, each family can drive by everyone’s house the week leading up to Thanksgiving. Or if everyone is far away, each family submits a photo of their porch.

It’s easier if one family member is designated the contest leader and puts together all the photos and calculates the winner.

2. Pie contest

If you live close by, consider a Pumpkin Pie or Apple Pie contest.

Each competitor makes enough mini pies for each family. Porch drop off to each house or have one family be the drop off/pick up point.

During Thanksgiving dessert, each family judges the pies and picks their favorite. You can eat the pies together using Zoom or your favorite conferencing app.

Thanksgiving Socially Distant Eating/Cooking Ideas

1. Share Family Recipes

If Aunt Linda always brings the best mashed potatoes and you’re going to miss them this year ask everyone to share the recipe of their signature dish ahead of time.

Then you can all make your favorites at home.

Bonus Idea: Put the recipes in a book – bind and send to everyone. There are a few online companies that do this.

2. Local Food Delivery

Similar to the pie idea above, except everyone makes their signature dish x how many families and then delivers them to each house or make one house the pickup point.

This allows everyone to enjoy the same or similar meal even if you can’t all sit at the same table this year.

3. Cook Together Virtually!

Roberto from Natural Goodness has been connecting with his parents virtually by cooking the same recipe together over FaceTime.

He explains “Very few things in life bring people together like cooking and experiencing a great meal, even if it is done through a virtual meeting!”

You can check out his recipe for peanut butter cookies here .

You can do the same thing when preparing your Thanksgiving meal. Pick a recipe you can do together with family and have a virtual cooking date.

Kid Idea: This is a great way to get kids involved too. If they can cook with their grandparents virtually and learn recipes that they love it creates a new connection.

Games you can play at a distance – Thanksgiving Games

1. Scavenger Hunt

Gather the family virtually and then get ready to run. One family member is in charge of sharing what you need to get. All the family starts at the same time and whichever family gets back to the screen first gets 1 point. The family with the most points at the end wins.

Here are some ideas to find that have a Thanksgiving touch.

1. Turkey (actual or picture)

8. Something You’re Thankful For

Decorating During Quarantine For Thanksgiving

1. Thanksgiving Banner Background

Lacy from Catholic Icing has a beautiful Thanksgiving banner that can be made and shipped to family. She explains “They mail flat and are easy to make in a batch.”

They would also be a great project for each family to make on their own and use as their background when chatting virtually.

It will be interesting to see what nature items are used all across the country!

A great project for the kids to make as they have to get outside to find all the supplies.

Conclusion – Celebrating Thanksgiving Virtually While Social Distancing

This year may be a bit different as some families aren’t able to spend the holidays together. However, it can still be fun and create lots of fun new memories.

Whether you can do porch drop offs or only virtual calls – the above ideas are a fun way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is commended every year in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. For some, Thanksgiving is tied in with relatives and companions, and being grateful for good things throughout their life. It is ordinarily celebrated by having a major feast with a turkey as the focal point. In any case, it very well may be the overlooked occasion from numerous points of view.

Frequently that implies we don’t get as much time off from work or school, which can mean you being stuck in one city while your family celebrates in another. Or on the other hand perhaps you’re with your family, yet reserves are somewhat short to pay for an extravagant turkey dinner. Or on the other hand, possibly there simply isn’t any kind of convention in your life for observing Thanksgiving.

Regardless of your circumstances, here are 10 absolutely amazing ways to celebrate Thanksgiving 2018 with companions or family, expressing gratefulness for what you do have instead of being miserable about what you can’t do or don’t have. But before that, let’s first give you a quick overview of why do we celebrate Thanksgiving.

Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of the most cherished yearly occasion in the USA and happens on the fourth Thursday of November, commencing the purported Holiday Season.

The causes of Thanksgiving go back to 1621 when a gathering of English travelers in present-day Massachusetts imparted a devour to a clan of Native Americans to commend a copious reap. This “First Thanksgiving” occurred in October and kept going around three days, in spite of the fact that there is additional proof to recommend comparative functions were held two years sooner in Virginia.

The correct date of Thanksgiving shifted from state to state until, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln at long last announced it a national occasion over the entire of the USA. Thanksgiving is likewise celebrated in Canada and different Caribbean islands. On Thanksgiving, individuals in the US assemble with their family and companions to eat, drink and watch American football.

Why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving

Previously, people would eat fowl and meat, as opposed to a conventional turkey. Nobody knows for beyond any doubt why turkey turned into the foundation of Thanksgiving dinner, in spite of the fact that it is probably going to be on account of the flightless feathered creature is local toward the North Americas.

An expected 50 million turkeys are eaten up in the USA each Thanksgiving, as indicated by research by The University of Illinois.

What is Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is celebrated as Black Friday. On Black Friday, retailers slice the costs on a huge number of items to flag the beginning of the Christmas seasons to buy the Christmas gifts.

How to celebrate Thanksgiving 2018

Thanksgiving is normally celebrated by attending or watching the Thanksgiving Day parade, football, volunteering, and playing different indoor and outdoor games. But if you want to make your Thanksgiving 2018 even special then here are some of the alternate ways to celebrate your Thanksgiving this year.

Make your own menu

Ditch Turkey this year and create your own feast. You may settle for chicken, mutton, beef, and if you are vegan then you might love to eat cooked veggies and fruits. The point is, you are not bound to cook and eat Turkey if you don’t want to. Rather you can make your own menu and have it. After all, it’s all about Thanksgiving and not following the conventional ways.

Do one-dish party

It tends to be costly to have a major feast and have a Martha Stewart commendable embellished table. So, this time instead of inviting friends and family to your place for a grand party you may rather welcome companions over to bring a dish. Get a turkey or make some spaghetti and have everybody convey something to share. Assembling around a dinner that you have all pitched into is an awesome method to commend the occasions with companions.

Serve homeless and poor people

There are many people and loads of places who are waiting for you to come and serve them food. So, just Google “where to serve Thanksgiving dinner” and find a place nearby, go there and serve food to the homeless and poor people. You might even invite your friends to come with you. It will double the fun and the blessings you are going to get.

Other great ideas to celebrate Thanksgiving 2018

Take a hike with a friend
Have a contest with friends to create a turkey out of a non-turkey food
Invite a stranger over for Thanksgiving
Skype with a friend or family member
Take your pet for a day out and have fun
Take photographs of the scenery to capture the moments.
Get out of town and spend and enjoy mini-vacation with your loved one
Create new and creative family traditions

Thanksgiving is all about enjoying and being grateful. These are only a few ideas and you can do a lot more than this on your Thanksgiving 2018. So, feel free to add your idea in the comments below and yes, Happy Thanksgiving Y’all!

Holiday Traditions, Rituals, and Rules in a Delightful Story

About The Book

Encourage your child to be thankful for their family and friends through colorful pictures of Thanksgiving festivities.

Parents and children alike will delight in this cheery book about Thanksgiving Day. From baking an apple pie to playing football on a crisp autumn morning to gathering around the table with friends and family, this adorable picture book depicts some of America’s most treasured family traditions.
The lively rhyming text and bright illustrations will not only delight and entertain your kids, but will also instruct. Hallinan gently encourages children to help with the preparation of the holiday meal, to spend time with family, and also to be grateful for the many blessings that they have been given.
Parents can depend on P.K. Hallinan to provide not only fun stories, but also teaching tools for their children. How to Celebrate Thanksgiving! is no different, as it provides a great way to inspire children to share in the spirit of thanks that surrounds this holiday.

About The Author

Product Details

Publisher: Sky Pony (November 5, 2019)
Length: 24 pages
ISBN13: 9781510745414
Grades: 1 – 4
Ages: 4 – 8

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Holiday Traditions, Rituals, and Rules in a Delightful Story

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How to Celebrate Thanksgiving

Easy Ways to Celebrate at Home and at School
Part 1

Today, I wanted to share with you four Thanksgiving activities that can be done at home and in the classroom. For each activity, I will provide you with the materials to complete the activity. In addition, I will explain how you can use the activity at home or in the classroom (the way it’s implemented may be different). All of the activities are based around giving Thanks for what we have. Look for part 2 tomorrow with more activities!

Download all of the PDF files at the bottom of this post!

The Thankful Tree

Make your vase of sticks. Get the kids in on the fun, have them help collect them!
Print the small leaves for the Thankful Tree.
Use a hole punch to make a hole in the top of each leaf.
String a piece of ribbon or string through the hole and tie it so that it can be hung on the tree later.
Each night right before dinner, have each person write one thing they are Thankful for on a leaf. For younger kids, have a family member help them write. Or let them draw!
At dinner, each member should share what they are thankful for and then tie their leaf to the tree.
On Thanksgiving or at the end of the month, take the time to reread what everyone is thankful for.

Make your vase of sticks. Get the kids in on the fun, have them help collect them!
Print the small leaves for the Thankful Tree.
Use a hole punch to make a hole in the top of each leaf.
String a piece of ribbon or string through the hole and tie it so that it can be hung on the tree later.
Before Thanksgiving dinner, give everyone a set number of leaves (you can decide how many).
At dinner, each member should share what they are thankful for and then tie their leaf to the tree.

Save your leaves in a plastic bag labeled with the year. It would be fun as your kids grow to look back on what they were thankful for. If you want to do this, have everyone write their initials/name on their leaves or give each person the same color leaf each year.

Make your vase of sticks. Get the kids in on the fun, have them help collect them! Or make your tree on the wall.
Print the small leaves for the vase Thankful Tree or the big leaves for the wall tree (skip the next 2 steps if you are doing a wall tree, just use tape instead).
Use a hole punch to make a hole in the top of each leaf.
String a piece of ribbon or string through the hole and tie it so that it can be hung on the tree later.
Give each student a set number of leaves. Give them time to write or draw (younger students) the things they are thankful for.
Allow students an opportunity to share their leaves. Either share them all on one day or select a few leaves to share with the class each day throughout the month of November.

You can have students write their names on the leaves or you can have the whole class stay anonymous. If you have older students, you may want to let students stay anonymous (they are more likely to share some more personal things they are thankful for). Younger students tend to want people to know what they wrote.

Give each child one individual tree base.
Give each child a half a sheet of the individual tree leaves sheet (8 leaves).
Have the child write the things they are thankful for on the leaves.
Cut out the leaves.
Glue the leaves on the tree where desired. Some of the leaves may hang over the paper, and that’s okay!
Color and decorate the tree.
If desired, have children complete the writing page to explain why they selected the items they are thankful for (see example below the tree).
Share!

Added File for Older Students (great for classroom writing activity)
There is also a file to go with the Thankful Tree. Have children write about what they are thankful about and why. This gives an added bonus of a writing activity. Here is what the paper looks like below (2 pages).

Learn everything you need to know about this iconic American holiday!

Of all the holidays celebrated in the USA, perhaps none are as special or quintessentially American as Thanksgiving. Taking place on the fourth Thursday of November every year, Thanksgiving originated as a harvest festival in the early 1600s. Since its first celebration, the autumn holiday has centered around a strong message of gratitude and giving thanks for one’s fortunes; over time, Thanksgiving has become a day just as much about family, food and fall festivities as it is about thankfulness.

From the history of Thanksgiving to today’s popular football games and annual parades, there’s so much to learn about this iconic American holiday! We break it all down for you here, so if you ever get the chance, you’ll know how to celebrate Thanksgiving like a true American.

The History of Thanksgiving

In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—while many were looking for religious freedom, many too were lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the New World. After a 3-month-long voyage, these passengers (now commonly known as Pilgrims) landed in Massachusetts harbor and quickly went to work settling a village that they called Plymouth, in honor of their home.

Between their long, taxing sea voyage and the harsh winter conditions in New England, malnutrition and illness sadly ran rampant through the Plymouth colony. It wasn’t until a Native American named Squanto—a member of the Pawtuxet tribe—taught the settlers how to provide for themselves that they started to become stronger and savvier in their new home. Squanto showed the colonists how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped them forge an important alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, that would go on to last for more than half a century.

About a year later in November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast to commemorate the occasion. As a gesture of gratitude and good will, he invited many of the colony’s local Native American allies, as well as the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. This feast—which lasted for a full 3 days—is now remembered as America’s “first Thanksgiving.”

For the rest of the 17th century and well into the 18th century, celebratory feasts continued to mark successful harvests and the ends of droughts. In 1789, after the American Revolution, President George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the United States national government—in this proclamation, he encouraged Americans to express thanks for the long-awaited conclusion to the country’s war for independence.

Years later, in 1863 at the height of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln formally established Thanksgiving as a national holiday. It was officially scheduled for the final Thursday in November—the same day it is celebrated every year in America today!

Thanksgiving Food

Gratitude is still at the heart of every Thanksgiving celebration in America—but the most iconic traditions certainly center around food. The holiday is a special chance to share a bountiful meal with family and friends, with preparation and cooking beginning in the early hours of the morning typically. It’s common to see all members of an American family chipping in and helping with the meal throughout the day as a way to bond and spend quality time together.

The greatest Thanksgiving food staple is, without a doubt, turkey. Historians may disagree on whether turkey was present at the first Thanksgiving in 1621—but today, it has become nearly synonymous with the holiday. According to the National Turkey Federation, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird on Thanksgiving—whether it’s roasted, baked or even deep-fried!

Other traditional Thanksgiving foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet yams, cranberry sauce, and a variety of desserts like cakes, pies and cookies. Pie is an especially common dessert for Thanksgiving, with apple, pumpkin, pecan and chocolate crème pie being among the most popular.

Thanksgiving Traditions

Aside from food and family time, there are several other aspects of Thanksgiving that make it a favorite holiday among Americans. Thanksgiving is a day to give back and show gratitude for what you have by volunteering at local charities. Food drives are especially popular—and many organizations will host free turkey dinners for the less fortunate.

Thanksgiving is also a perfect opportunity for communities to come together and enjoy the crisp, fall weather in the form of road races; or, as they’re affectionately called in many areas of the USA—turkey trots! Running, jogging or walking in a road race on Thanksgiving is a popular way to get some exercise in anticipation of eating a nice, large feast later in the day. Of course, many choose to spectate instead of participate—which is another, equally-wonderful way to connect with community members and be a part of the action!

Speaking of spectating, parades have also become an integral part of the Thanksgiving holiday in many cities and towns across the USA. The biggest and most famous one by far is the New York City Thanksgiving Day Parade, presented by Macy’s department store since 1924. Every year, it attracts some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and draws an enormous television audience as well. Featuring marching bands, musical guests, dancers, elaborate floats carrying various celebrities and giant balloons shaped like cartoon characters, the iconic parade is a must-watch—whether it’s in person, or in the comfort of your own home.

Another Thanksgiving tradition for many families is watching American football games! Tuning in for professional American football games on Thanksgiving is a tradition that dates back to the earliest era of the sport in the late 19th century. The National Football League—known to most as the NFL, and as the definitive source of professional football in the USA—has played games on Thanksgiving every year since its creation in 1920. Collegiate football teams will also play on Thanksgiving, creating a strong love for the tradition at a younger age and carrying it through to adulthood. Whether you’re watching the game at home or at the stadium itself, it’s a way to be part of the American community on a day that is particularly important to the country.

As one of the most prominent holidays in the US, Thanksgiving is a special day to give thanks for the good things in our lives, and celebrating Thanksgiving can be done in many different ways and forms. Here’s some suggestions in how to spend this special day.

For those with family, it’s typical to plan to celebrate Thanksgiving with your loved ones. To plan this, you can get together with your family members beforehand or make some phone calls if you live far away, and plan where you will be celebrating Thanksgiving and at what time. Typically, the person with the largest home does the hosting while the other family members bring dishes to go along with the meal. Some families choose to celebrate Thanksgiving at a different family member’s home each year. Once you’ve decided whose house you’ll be headed to, determine what time you want to plan your meal, and what dishes you’ll be able to bring. This is the same way for larger and smaller families.

If you’re not close to family or live far away and are not able to get together, getting together with close friends or co-workers may be the way you’ve chosen to celebrate Thanksgiving. Whether it’s a large group of friends, or a small Thanksgiving dinner party, choosing to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends can be a stress-free way to spend your day. Many people are as close to their friends as their family, and you can spend the day laughing and talking or catching a football game on TV. Before Thanksgiving, meet together with friends and choose whose house you’ll be dining at and decide what they would like you to bring. If you choose to do it at your own home, lay out a menu of what foods you would like to make, and give your friends a few choices for them to bring. There is always the traditional Thanksgiving menu of a turkey, mashed potatoes or stuffing, and a vegetable or you can choose to do something exotic. During this season there are many different cooking shows that display different Thanksgiving menus for you to choose from. You can also look online for different, tasty recipes.

Lastly, while there are many people around the world who have more than enough, there are more and more people who are in need. Consider spending your Thanksgiving or at least part of it at a local food shelter dishing out food to the needy or going to a nursing home to spend time with an elderly person who is all alone. This is truly the perfect way to realize just how much you have to be thankful for.

People all over the United States celebrate this day in many different ways. See how folks make this holiday special.

Each year Americans in the United States celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. Most families follow traditions begun on the first Thanksgiving, but many have their own traditions that they follow each year. Here are some of the common traditions associated with Turkey Day.

TRAVEL

One of the best things about Thanksgiving is spending time with family. Many people live far from family members and travel long distances by car, train, or plane to be with their loved ones. Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel days of the year!

THE TURKEY PARDON

Each year at Thanksgiving, the president of the United States receives a gift of two live turkeys. At a White House ceremony, the president traditionally “pardons” the National Thanksgiving Turkeys so they can live on a farm.

Check out this easy recipe for homemade cinnamin apple cider.

THE FEAST

Traditional foods are a large part of Thanksgiving celebrations. Many families include the entire family in the food preparation. Traditional foods include turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. Many people serve pie for dessert at the end of the meal. Popular pie flavors are pumpkin, pecan, sweet potato, and apple.

Some families choose to serve vegetarian Thanksgiving dinners instead of a stuffed turkey. They might eat vegetarian turkey, which can be made out of tofu. Others eat squash, salads, or other fruit and vegetable dishes.

THE WISHBONE

Some families include breaking the turkey’s wishbone as part of their celebration. The wishbone is found attached to the breast meat in the turkey’s chest. After the meat has been removed and the wishbone has had a chance to become dry and brittle, two people each take one end of the bone, make a wish, and pull. Whoever ends up with the larger part of the bone gets their wish!

Many families watch the New York City Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which includes marching bands, floats, songs and performances from Broadway musicals, and giant helium-filled balloons! People like to watch football gamesвЂ”maybe your family likes to play one outside!

HELPING OTHERS

Thanksgiving is a great time to help out people who might not be as lucky as you. Some people volunteer to serve food at homeless shelters; others donate to shelters or participate in canned food drives.

AFTER THE MEAL

The food is eaten, the dishes are washed . now it’s time to relax. Some families take bike rides, go on walks, or take naps. Others play board or card games together.

Angela Jamison is a native Montanan and she grew up in beautiful Bozeman. I’m the mother of two girls and write a blog about our life here and taking in the simple pleasures of family and food.

Thanksgiving. Such a simple, wonderful holiday without the fuss the others can bring. The first thought that comes to most minds when one thinks of Thanksgiving is of course a big turkey dinner surrounded by family. Throughout my years I have found that while this is still the most common, there are many ways to celebrate Thanksgiving and it means something different to everyone. With the holiday coming up I recently asked my two daughters and husband to tell me what Thanksgiving means to them. The many answers I received got me thinking just how different it can be to each person…what we each take from it. As a mostly vegetarian family I was surprised that turkey was still one of the first answers…it goes to show you some things just go together. Some of the other answers I got…

-Afternoon naps and wine (husband)

-Being thankful for what we have and Jello (oldest daughter who only has eaten this at Thanksgiving at Grandma’s house!)

-Mashed potatoes, pie and people killing turkeys (youngest daughter…with a bit of a dark side)

-The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Me…I’m a sucker for the Rockettes performance during it)

Not only does Thanksgiving mean something different to each person, how we celebrate also varies. It can change and evolve, turning into your own way of celebrating.

For some it is the traditional Thanksgiving. Family gathered around the table with all the usual trimmings. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie. The fancy china comes out, grace is said at the beginning of the meal and a Hallmark commercial Thanksgiving meal follows. As lovely as this is, it certainly may not be the reality for all. Especially in a place like Bozeman where so many have moved here, family may be very far away. If family lives elsewhere, Thanksgiving means partaking in the busiest travel time of the year. Sitting in airports with all the others anxious to get to loved ones or braving the icy roads and potential snowstorms. Doing this because spending this holiday with those they love is so important. On the other hand, some choosing the newly popular Friendsgiving with those you now consider family in the town you live. With so many living away from family this is the next best choice. Surrounding yourself with friends you love and feeling grateful that although you aren’t with your family you still are getting the gift of togetherness.

There are also those that consider this is a very difficult time of year. Knowing Thanksgiving is the kick-off to Christmas and if your funds are limited this quickly becomes the least merry time of year. Finding it hard to see a reason to celebrate and be grateful, but trying to make it happen. In Bozeman that may mean taking advantage of the many resources available. The other day I was donating a turkey to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank for Thanksgiving and was overwhelmed by the amount of people in the parking lot doing the same. I couldn’t even park because of all the people and this made me very emotional. To see the outpouring of support for those that need it. Trying to help make this Thanksgiving a little easier, a little brighter for someone else. This can also be seen by the hundreds who will spend their Thanksgiving morning participating in the annual Huffing for Stuffing to raise money for the food bank. Trying to make it possible for everyone to get the opportunity to have a Thanksgiving in their own way.

However you celebrate this Thanksgiving holiday, whatever it means to you remember to find the things to be grateful for. No matter how small. May it be happy, may it find you in good health and may you be surrounded by love.

B.A., History, Ohio University

Every fall, as Thanksgiving rolls around, some people wonder if they should have some sort of religious objection to the holiday; often people feel like objecting to Thanksgiving serves as a protest of the treatment of Native Americans by their white ancestors. However, this celebration of giving thanks isn’t a religious holiday at all, it’s a secular one.

Did You Know?

Cultures around the world have different types of celebrations giving thanks for the fall harvest.
The Wampanoag, who had the first dinner with the pilgrims all those years ago, had a creator god they thanked for their meals.
If you’re preparing a Thanksgiving meal, take some time to think about what the foods you make represent to you on a spiritual level.

The Politics of Thanksgiving

To many people, rather than the whitewashed version of happy pilgrims sitting around with their Native friends eating corn cobs, Thanksgiving represents oppression, greed, and cultural annihilation of Native Americans. If you consider Thanksgiving a celebration of ongoing genocide, it’s pretty hard to feel good about chowing down on your turkey and cranberry sauce.

Since Thanksgiving isn’t a religious observation — it’s not a Christian holiday, for example — many Pagans don’t see it as objectionable from a spiritual perspective. In fact, the observation of Columbus Day is a lot more troubling to many people than the Thanksgiving celebration. Also, keep in mind that cultures around the world celebrate their gratitude for the harvest with different holidays, they simply don’t have it tied into a day that represents colonization.

Celebrating With Conscience

If you truly do object to the celebration of Thanksgiving, you have a couple of choices. The first, obviously, is not to attend the family dinner at all, but stay home instead, perhaps holding a silent ritual of your own in honor of those who suffered under the guise of settlement.

However — and this is a big however — for many families, the holidays are the only times they get a chance to be together. It’s entirely possible that you’re going to hurt some feelings if you choose not to go, particularly if you’ve always gone in the past. No one wants Granny to cry because you decided this was the year you weren’t coming to dinner with her — after all, it’s not her fault that you find Thanksgiving objectionable.

That means that you’ll need to find some sort of compromise. Is there a way you can spend the day with your family, but still remain faithful to your own sense of ethics? Could you, perhaps, attend the gathering, but maybe instead of eating a plate full of turkey and mashed potatoes, sit with an empty plate in quiet protest?

Another option would be to focus not on the standard “Pilgrims and friendly Natives” aspect of the holiday but instead on the abundance and blessings of the earth. Although typically Pagans see the Mabon season as a time of thanksgiving, there’s certainly no reason you can’t be thankful for having a table full of food and a family who loves you — even if they don’t understand what the heck you’re talking about. Many Native American cultures had celebrations that honored the end of the harvest, so maybe you could find a way to incorporate that into your celebration, and educate your family a little at the same time.

Finding Balance

Finally, if your family says any kind of blessing prior to eating, ask if you can offer the blessing this year. Say something from your heart, expressing your gratitude for what you have, and speaking out in honor of those who were oppressed and destroyed in the name of manifest destiny. If you put some thought into it, you can find a way to hold true to your own beliefs while educating your family at the same time.

When you have differences of political opinion, it can be hard to sit down and share a plate of mashed potatoes with someone that—despite being related to you by blood or marriage—refuses to engage in civil discourse at the dinner table. While it’s easy to say we’d all like to have a “No Politics On Thanksgiving, Please Let’s Just Watch Football” rule, the fact is that not everyone can, and this year many people are really dreading sitting down to eat turkey with their families.

So here’s a suggestion. If you really don’t want to celebrate Thanksgiving, for whatever reasons, whether it’s because you’re troubled by the treatment of Native Americans by Europeans, or whether you just can’t face the idea of sitting next to your racist uncle again this year, then you do have options. One of those options is to just not go. Self-care is crucial, and if you’re not emotionally equipped to deal with a family holiday dinner, opt out.

If you feel uncomfortable saying why you don’t want to go because you’re worried about hurting people’s feelings, here’s your out: volunteer somewhere. Go help at a soup kitchen, sign up to distribute meals on wheels, build a Habitat for Humanity house, but do something for those less fortunate. This way, you can say honestly and truthfully to your family, “I’d love to spend the day with you, but I’ve decided that this is a good year for me to volunteer to help out those who are not as lucky as we are.” And then end the conversation.

Let’s face it.

The happy-go-lucky Thanksgiving story we all grew up with isn’t true .

While the narrative of friendships, mutual trade and gathering over a turkey dinner is still taught in American public schools, we eventually learn with age that the history of the Pilgrims, Thanksgiving and Native Americans is much more complex.

Yet, this fictional tale of Thanksgiving is still featured in commercials, movies and festive decorations, wildly representing how Thanksgiving is celebrated in the USA.

So, what really happened?

The truth about Thanksgiving

The school system likes to avoid teaching the truth about Thanksgiving. It glazes over the facts with as little conflict as possible, filling the younger generation’s mind with a story that they’ll later have to unlearn.

We’re taught that Thanksgiving is all about expressing gratitude and giving thanks to friends and family, similar to what the Pilgrims did to the Native Americans some 400 years ago.

While the school story stops here, we all know that history wasn’t this civil with genocide and disease looming closely behind the corner. In fact, Squanto, who was part of the Wampanoag tribe and taught the Pilgrims how to harvest corn, was sold to slavery in Europe and, upon returning five years later, found his entire tribe wiped out by smallbox.

This event in itself is tragic. So, we’ll just briefly mention that the Pilgrims massacred 700 Native Americans during their green corn festival, which some historians believe was the true origin of Thanksgiving.

It’s safe to say that the history behind Thanksgiving is far from what we have been constantly told. Ironically, a holiday based on gratitude came from wiping out nearly a whole entire population. To this day, the conflict this fictional story has created is profoundly evident.

So, with this information, how exactly are we supposed to celebrate Thanksgiving?

Living with intention: ways to better celebrate Thanksgiving

The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.

That’s relevant for most things in life, but especially true when learning that the whitewashing of history has literally brainwashed you for years. By learning and living by the truth— especially during Thanksgiving— you are liberating yourself from ignorance.

While the origin of Thanksgiving is not anywhere close to the story we have heard growing up, it still calls for a time of reflection, gratitude and appreciation for the loved ones and blessings in our lives. Even though this version of Thanksgiving doesn’t reflect the true history, we can’t deny that this is what the holiday has turned into.

You can still enjoy your Thanksgiving feast and celebrate gratitude, but here’s a few tips on how to do it with more intention.

1. Extend a thank you to the original settlers of this country

While you’re going around the table saying what you are thankful for, make sure you throw in a big ol’ thank you to the Native Americans that nourished this land before the pilgrims absolutely stripped it from them.

Recognizing the true history while celebrating Thanksgiving not only raises awareness, but also establishes intention. You are acknowledging the lives that were senselessly lost, which promotes historical consciousness, pledges the meal in honor of those who were massacred, and helps ignite an open conversation about the reality of Thanksgiving.

2. Donate to Native American foundations and local tribes

Not only did the Native Americans get nearly wiped out by Pilgrims, but they have also been forced to live on reservations without access to the same educational and financial opportunities as other Americans.

The damage done to the Indigenous communities of the United States go far beyond the origin of Thanksgiving. While we cannot give back priceless land that was home to traditions, cultural identities and a deep connection to nature, donating to Native American foundations and/or local tribes in your area can help preserve and honor their culture.

Not to mention, Native Americans have always been the protectors of the land. By donating to them and their environmental pledges, you are giving them the resources to continue their fight.

3. Instead of donating, volunteer!

If you want to really make an impact, then show up instead of opening your wallet. While donations are great, you can truly honor the cause of the Indigenous by protesting, walking or working side-by-side.

Navajo Nation , for example, provides opportunities to volunteer and help out with the tribe. If you want to give more than a few dollars, then look up the local tribes in your area and contact them about volunteer opportunities.

This volunteer effort doesn’t have to be isolated to Thanksgiving only. Native Americans and Indigenous people are leading a 24/7 fight against injustice, so you can give back and volunteer at any time throughout the year.

4. Introduce new traditions to Thanksgiving

Whether it’s reading Native American literature, appointing each person to say one fact about local tribes when sharing around the table, or encouraging a $5 donation as a new Thanksgiving tradition, there’s plenty of ways to bring more intention to Thanksgiving. Get creative and make a holiday surrounded by gluttonous eating a little more impactful.

5. Educate yourself

The best way to bring awareness to Thanksgiving and to honor the original Americans is to educate yourself. Find out who occupied the land that you currently living on and read up on their heritage. Not only are you increasing your own consciousness, but you are also enhancing your knowledge to better hold an educational and productive conversation.

6. Know the nomenclature

“American Indian,” “Native American,” “First Nation” and “Indigenous” are all widely used and are not interchangeable. Ironically, Westerners decided that the term “American Indian” shouldn’t be used, when a large amount of indigenous individuals north of the Rio Grande still identify as Indian. It’s also worth noting that some people may prefer to identify with the original name of their tribe as opposed to using an umbrella term.

Basically, don’t assume that everyone in a particular ethnic group likes to be called the same name. Generalizing people is never a good idea!

While you’re not expected to be an expert, educating yourself on the different nomenclature of the first Americans will help you better understand and navigate an educated and conscious Thanksgiving conversation.

Ready to celebrate with more awareness and intention? Then, bring these tips to this year’s Thanksgiving dinner!

**The names “Native American” and “Pilgrim” have been used as a style decision to maintain consistency. The writer acknowledges that “Native American” is not an umbrella term for the indigenous individuals of America and also acknowledges that the word “Pilgrim” isn’t entirely accurate, considering the “Pilgrims” of the time referred to themselves as Separatists and the name “Pilgrim” wasn’t coined until hundreds of years later.**

Thanksgiving is just round the corner and so we are presenting a guide on tips and easy ways to host a thanksgiving dinner without breaking the bank.

1. Host a potluck

Instead of taking up all the stress of cooking on yourself, ask your guests to bring in a dish each. This is one of the best ways to have a great time with friends and family and also save money in the process. Be specific about what each guest should bring in order to avoid confusion and repetition. If you want to do something different-try a progressive dinner approach: each family visits another family for appetizers, then goes on to another family’s for the main course and so on till dessert. This needs coordination but can be a very successful way of having a great time with neighbors. You can also go out to dine and split the bill- one of the least stressful ways of having an awesome time at Thanksgiving.

2. Reduce the quantity of food you cook

Thanksgiving is a time for remembrance and, well, for giving thanks. So the focus should not be only on food as it should be on laughter, fun and having a good time with loved ones. Do cut back on the amount of food you cook- cook several dishes, but in smaller quantities. This is a great way of curbing food wastage and also saving on grocery bills.

3. Shop smart

There are many sales in different stores across the neighborhood and you can buy your favorites for lower prices then. You can also look for coupons or shop for non-perishables in bulk to save even more. You may also consider shopping with friends/family and share the items you buy in wholesale. Always buy in bulk, since bags of apples, corn and potatoes are cheaper in larger packages. Try to start your holiday shopping early on so that you are not forced to buy the more expensive brands in case grocery stores run out of the cheaper brands.

4. Buy store brand turkey

Instead of buying fresh turkey, go for store brand bagged birds which are cheaper. Fresh turkey has longer shelf life but is costlier. You will only need to thaw or defrost the frozen turkey longer.

5. Borrow or rent items instead of buying them

Instead of buying items from regular stores, check out thrifty stores/dollar stores or even yard sales for items. Wherever possible, rent or borrow things from neighbors or friends instead of buying.

6. Plan in advance

Planning a thrifty thanksgiving dinner need not be hard but you must get a head start. Here is a timeline to help you get organized:

2 weeks before Thanksgiving– Create a guest list. Call people up and talk about doing a potluck. Write the menu or assign recipes to guests. Buy/order things. Take inventory of your dinnerware.
3-5 days before– Make room in the refrigerator. Tidy up and decorate the house. Confirm the number of guests.
Day before-Roast the turkey in the evening. Finish the place settings. Prepare other dishes and refrigerate or freeze them. Within two hours of roasting, carve the meat of the turkey bones.
On the day-Have a good breakfast. Finish the side dishes. Designate tasks to family members. Have a great thanksgiving! After dinner, freeze the leftovers.

7. Thrifty decoration tips

Store brought decorations can be very expensive. Get your kids to make decorations with some online help. You can also recycle your older decorations. Fall colored scented candles, and small bowls with flower petals or potpourri look great and are thrifty ideas for decorating the home for Thanksgiving on a budget.

8. If you are traveling

Driving can be a cost effective option, but you may also consider alternatives like the bus or train-they are more comfortable and sometimes you can get great deals. Try to schedule your travel earlier and book months in advance to get the ‘early bird’ discounts. Do not forget to account for other travel expenses like dog boarding, insurance etc.

As stated before, Thanksgiving is a time to get together, give back to the community and also be grateful for all the good things in life. Do not let money be the sole focus of your celebration. We hope you have a great thrifty Thanksgiving!

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I should start by saying that in Peru we don’t celebrate this holiday. The reason is very simple: It is not part of our history or culture. To put this in context, let’s dive a little into the historical part of this celebration in order to know why I do or don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.

According to Wikipedia, Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States, Canada, some of the Caribbean Islands and Liberia. The background of this day varies from place to place, but for now, let’s focus on the United States. It is the country where I currently live and it’s my husband’s home country.

“Basically this is the result of the arrival of 38 English settlers at Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia in 1619 which concluded with a religious celebration as dictated by the group’s charter from the London Company, which specifically required ‘that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned … in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.’ The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest, which the Pilgrims celebrated with Native Americans, who helped them pass the last winter by giving them food in the time of scarcity.” (Source).

This is why this time of the year should be observed as a means of appreciation and giving thanks for everything we have. Of course, the harvest was the main reason in the past, but it’s now a symbolic way to show the abundance each person really has, and I’m not only talking about money.

Anyhow, to answer the question Do I celebrate Thanksgiving? Well, as you can see, I had never celebrated it before in my home country. The main reason? It didn’t represent anything for us in Peru, which is a total pity. But once here, yes I do celebrate Thanksgiving and I like it!

The first time I celebrated it was at my sweet mother-in-law’s house. Her house was fascinating. Her home was so pretty, so idyllic. She had picked out every single piece of decoration carefully. She has a fine taste for antique-feminine stuff and I enjoyed going to her place a lot. The smell of the season was amazing. I can’t lie but I was in love with having my first Thanksgiving at her place. It’s like living the full culture at its max and I was totally thankful for that.

This time of the year is very reflective, gives peace and for some reason, I notice that people really start appreciating their lives, their gifts, their family, friends, career, jobs, food, and more. I even started seeing people on social media doing a kind of a “challenge”. They begin giving thanks since the first day of November. This is something that I think should be done every day of your life, not just Thanksgiving. At least there is this month or day where people can think about their blessings and how to share them with the less fortunate.

It’s also a holiday for FOOD! It’s like Christmas Eve for me. Turkey is essential, so if it’s not there, it can’t be Thanksgiving. People cook many different kinds of dishes. Everybody invites everybody to their houses and each of them brings something to share. The table is full of delicious dishes surrounded by happy people full of contentment.

So far I have hosted Thanksgiving at home two times and it is gratifying to have people coming to our place to celebrate together something so meaningful and valuable. Even though it may represent a lot of work, we love to have people over. We decorate our place, we put out some nice candles, make the house smell nice with seasonal essences and we enjoy having our family and friends with us.

Of course, my only complaint is Black Friday the next day. What I can say is that I have never gone shopping on Black Friday. Dave doesn’t like it at all and I personally don’t think it’s worth it. I’ll tell you why later in a future post.

For now, let’s enjoy this precious holiday. It’s a day where we stop for a moment to enjoy ourselves and commit to sharing with others. And it’s a day when a whole country wants to give thanks!

The first Thanksgiving, celebrated by Pilgrim colonists and Wampanoag Indians in 1621, was very different from the traditional Thanksgiving we observe every November in modern day America. Having barely survived their first New England winter, the Pilgrims, upon late year harvesting, set aside a day of giving thanks. They could not have accomplished this without assistance from the native peoples. Modern day Americans interested in duplicating this first Thanksgiving meal will be in for a surprise. Among the several missing ingredients was the dominant part of each contemporary Thanksgiving feast, the turkey.

What was served at the First Thanksgiving in 1621?

Writers and food historians differ as to what specific foods were served at that first Thanksgiving. Anthropology professor Anthony Aveni, for example, writes that Pilgrim men were sent out to kill wild turkeys and other fowl for the feast. British historian Godfrey Hodgson, however, denies that wild turkey was part of the feast, citing the archeological absence of any turkey bones found at the early settlement as well as the inability to shoot turkeys with the type of weaponry used by the Pilgrims.

Fowl killed for the meal included duck and geese. Original source records from that early period all state that when the Wampanoag Indians arrived, they brought five slain deer. Thus, the first Thanksgiving featured venison, although it was cooked as a stew that included beans, corn, and squash.

What food was missing from the first Thanksgiving that we eat now?

The Pilgrims served no pumpkin pies, although pumpkins were grown by the native peoples. In later years, pumpkin slices were fried and then baked as a pie. But in 1621, the Pilgrims had no ovens. Additionally, sweet potatoes did not exist in New England. This also was missing at the first Thanksgiving.

Cranberries grew in abundance and the native peoples cooked them as a sauce for fish and meats. Europeans, however, would not learn about this until the 1670s. Further, in 1621, the Pilgrims had no sugar, necessary in the preparation of a Thanksgiving cranberry sauce.

Corn bread, however, was most likely present at the first Thanksgiving. According to Cahill, corn bread as well as corn on the cob was introduced by the Wampanoags at this first festival. Indian bread was made from roasted corn ears, something that could even be taken on long journeys. Beans were also prominently featured. Beans contain protein and came in a number of varieties. In future generations, New England would become famous for baked beans, usually made with the kidney bean.

Why did the Pilgrims celebrate the first Thanksgiving in 1621?

The Pilgrims learned much from their Indian neighbors. Native peoples showed the Europeans how to use fish such as lobster to fertilize crops. Unlike Europeans used to the crop-rotation methods dating back to the Middle Ages, Indians in New England grew most of their crops together so that one type of plant would enhance the growth of others. Pumpkins, for example, grew on the outer rim, thus protecting corn, squash, and peas from weeds.

How can we celebrate like the Pilgrims in 1621?

If you’re desiring to replicate the first Thanksgiving, you must be prepared to give up apple and pecan pies, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and the centerpiece roasted turkey. Substituting venison, which is sold at places like Whole Foods or can be ordered online, cooked as a stew with the appropriate vegetables and served in a common bowl would be a courageous start.

Not all foods, however, need to be so different. In 1621, the Indians heated their corn, creating popcorn. The Pilgrims had butter, saved from their voyage. Although rancid, the Indians doused the buttery liquid over their popcorn, perhaps the first time in America that anyone snacked on hot buttered popcorn.

Complete your first Thanksgiving study by eating hot buttered popcorn while watching a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. The video has a fabulous retelling of the Mayflower to first Thanksgiving story. It’s a great way to end a unit on the Pilgrims of 1621.

Penny blogs over at Our Crazy Adventures In Autismland. Based on her own personal experiences with autism, she educates autism families on how to navigate their world from diagnosis to adulthood. She offers real life advice and ideas through her blog by providing homeschool printables, at home therapy techniques, ebooks and DIY posts. You can also follow her adventures on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or in her group, Life In Autismland.

‘Tis the season . . . to roast a turkey and bashfully admit what we’re thankful for! That’s right, it’s time for that well-known but little-understood American holiday of Thanksgiving. I’m preparing to celebrate my sixth Thanksgiving in Britain and I want to save you the hassle of figuring out how to pull it off.

First and foremost, the turkey

Where do you get a turkey? Well, much like in America you can get various sizes and carvings of frozen turkey at most UK supermarkets. If you only have a Tesco Metro at your disposal, you’re probably out of luck. I’ve been happiest getting my frozen turkey from Lidl. (Have I mentioned I’m a cheapskate?) But I also had a delicious and terrifyingly expensive fresh turkey from a local butcher once. I had to order it in very early though because they didn’t expect to need to get turkeys in November—Brits mostly get their turkey-eating in at Christmas. Us silly Yanks.

On the other hand, frozen turkeys at the supermarket are available virtually year round—just remember to get it in time to thaw it out. Between the packaging, Butterball’s website, and Google, you should be able to handle the complicated calculations involved in deciding when and how to thaw.

Next up, the trimmings!

This can vary greatly depending on what your family and your part of the US usually do. Where I’m from (the mid-South) the usuals include: dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, buttermilk biscuits, cornbread, cranberries sauces (plural!) and green bean casserole. Most recipes and their ingredients will be easy enough to get hold of.

What may give you a headache is translating your American recipes from Fahrenheit, cups, and ounces into Celsius, grams, and millilitres. If you can, go ahead and get kitchen scales now. The Brits like to measure things this way and you may as well give in. I didn’t have scales until I’d been here for three years and really put myself through some pain. Also, there are lots of helpful websites to help you like my favourite butter converter and temperature converter.

Finally, there’s DESSERT!

For me, the only things that really matter are the turkey and the pies. Again, my regional must-haves include: derby pie (a pecan pie with chocolate chips and bourbon), pumpkin pie, and apple pie. For those nut-based sweet pies, you’ll want to heed my hard-learned lesson—YOU CANNOT SUBSTITUTE ANYTHING FOR CORN SYRUP. Trust me, I tried. (Don’t even think about Lyle’s Golden Syrup.)

But then! I found out you can get your hands on corn syrup in England. Koreans use corn syrup in their cooking, so find yourself an Asian shop or market and they should have some. They call it mulyeot (물엿) which apparently means ‘sweet liquid candy’. Oh and two more things: 1. they call baking soda ‘bicarbonate of soda’ here, and 2. you can get stuff on Amazon or eBay but will probably cost a pretty penny.

Remember, part of the glory of Thanksgiving is the leftovers! Especially for us Kentuckians, because with the leftover turkey we make our famous hot browns. Heaven!

IRVINE, Calif. , Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Family historians across the country, preparing for the inevitable cancellation of Thanksgiving this year, share seven ways to surround yourself with cherished activities to celebrate from afar to keep keep families together virtually.

The regular engagements with people who had their decades-past pictures scanned are the best group to ask what plans they have for the holidays.

7 Ways to Surround Yourself with Cherished Moments to Celebrate Thanksgiving From Afar

3) Select a Game For Everyone To Play: Jackbox is a gaming service that allows you to Facetime with your friends while playing virtual games.

5) Smile, It is Family Photo Time: Take a family photo, complete with all virtual guests. Use a collage photo app to assemble each picture into a family keepsake and order photo gifts for everyone.

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Thanksgiving is a holiday that reminds us to be thankful for everyone and everything we have in our lives. It’s an important time to reflect on your year, be together with family, friends, and coworkers, and give back to the greater community. While Thanksgiving is typically celebrated at home, there are still ways to bring the giving spirit to the office. Plus, there’s nothing like an office potluck to bring everyone together!

Still, it’s important to remember that this time of year isn’t just about turkey, stuffing, and gravy. There are many ways to show your employees your appreciation, thank your clients, and give back to the local community. From charity drives to cooking competitions, here are eight ways your company can celebrate Thanksgiving at work:

Host a Potluck

“Every Thanksgiving, Fundera has a potluck where every employee brings a dish their family enjoys for Thanksgiving. All participants log their name and dish in a Google Sheet so we can track what’s being brought and the day of the potluck, we have a large spread of great dishes from all over the country. It’s a fun time for everyone and an event that the whole company looks forward to.” — Nicolas Straut, Senior Marketer at Fundera

Host a Potluck with a Twist

“At Tandem Interactive, we have a pre-Thanksgiving potluck, but the one catch is that it has to be anything but Thanksgiving food. Last year people brought in everything from soup to homemade bolognese.” — Andrea Bailey, Organic Search Specialist at Tandem Interactive

Get in the Giving Spirit

“This year to celebrate Thanksgiving, Namely had a Month of Giving, where we announced our longterm non-profit partners whose missions and values aligned with our company’s. We plan to set up volunteer events consistently with those charities in the future. We also set up a contest where employees who have been appreciated on our Namely newsfeed would be entered into a raffle to win money to donate to a charity of their choice. It was a great way to combine charitable giving with our employee recognition strategy.” — Kristie Kuo, Talent & People Associate at Namely

Organize a Charity Drive

During the holidays, it’s important to remember that there are those less fortunate who could benefit from your help. Try organizing an office food drive and donate cans to a local food bank or ask employees to bring in gently used hats, scarves, and gloves to donate to a nearby shelter. If you want to take a more hands-on approach, organize a day of volunteering with your employees. Not only does your business get to give back to the community, but your employees get to feel they are making a difference and helping those in need.

Write Thank You Cards

“Several years ago we started the unique Thanksgiving tradition. Each fall we create and assemble handcrafted Thanksgiving cards for our clients. Over the course of two weekends, we design and create 250 handmade cards. We invite our families to help (my thirteen-year-old daughter loves it) and bond over food, drinks, and football. Our clients tell us that they appreciate the time and thought we put into the cards. We hope it reminds them just how much we care.” — Mark C. McKaig, CRPC(r), Partner at Centurion Wealth

Organize a Cooking Competition

“Our small office organizes a friendly cooking competition every year. Last year it was chili and bread and this year we’re making sweet and savory pies. Of course, prizes are involved in addition to bragging rights! It’s a great way to bring everyone together to get a taste of colleagues’ creative talents outside of work duties.” —Rebecca Graham, Content Manager at Best Company

Thank Your Employees

“This year we plan to pay a tribute of ‘thanks’ with our workplace suggestion box. We have a suggestion box in our office kitchen where employees can leave anonymous feedback on things they like/dislike about our company and propose new ideas for us to implement. In an effort to ensure our employees know ‘we hear them’ and we are most thankful for all they do, we will be showcasing how management has responded to past suggestions. We hope this tribute of thanks engages our employees and ultimately drives participation.” — Samantha Lambert, Director of Human Resources at Blue Fountain Media

Give Employees Time Off

“I understand many people have personal obligations and expectations to meet during the holiday season and that having a boss that is supportive of those needs increases productivity and overall work satisfaction. So, I let people have the day after Thanksgiving and the time between Christmas and New Year’s off. I also grant additional time off to employees who need and am more flexible with working hours during that period. I notice my workers come back from the holidays feeling refreshed, happy, and ready to work.” — Jacob Dayan of Finance Pal

Whether you’re organizing an office potluck or overseeing a canned food drive, there are plenty of ways to celebrate Thanksgiving with your employees. Don’t be afraid to create your own traditions that encourage your workplace to come together as a family and give thanks!

Apart from eating one of the most delicious meals of the year, Thanksgiving is also a time to spend with family and friends—and that includes your beautiful puppy! Getting ready for Turkey Day can be pretty hectic, causing your puppy unneeded stress and anxiety. You may be tempted to leave your puppy inside a quiet […]

Apart from eating one of the most delicious meals of the year, Thanksgiving is also a time to spend with family and friends—and that includes your beautiful puppy!

Getting ready for Turkey Day can be pretty hectic, causing your puppy unneeded stress and anxiety. You may be tempted to leave your puppy inside a quiet room as you and your guests indulge in turkey and pumpkin pie, but this isn’t exactly a good idea.

Puppies are social creatures. They need consistent human interaction to be happy, and being locked in a room for hours will only make their stress worse.

So don’t exclude your puppy from the Thanksgiving festivities; let them join in! Here are a few tips you can follow to celebrate Thanksgiving with your puppy.

1. Introduce your pup to family and friends.

If you haven’t introduced your puppy to your family, the time to start is NOW. Your guests may be cautious or even scared to approach your pooch for the first time. To calm their anxieties, let your guests know the best ways to greet your cuddly soulmate. You should also be wary of children, who may be overly excited or aggressive when they greet your pup. Make sure your puppy is socialized enough to handle large crowds of people and strangers petting them.

2. Dress your pup for the party.

Before our guests come over, we always take the time to get dressed in our best outfits. What about your puppy? They need to look good too! You can place a little bowtie or bandana around their necks to amp up their beauty. If your puppy loves to wear clothes, there are many Thanksgiving-themed shirts or dresses available. You can also opt for a cute pilgrim or turkey costume so that your furry friend is the center of attention.

3. Engage your puppy in fun activities.

There’s a chance your puppy may feel bored or left out in typical Thanksgiving festivities (ahem, dinner). But there are several fun alternatives your furry friend can partake in to alleviate their boredom. Is your family watching the Thanksgiving parade on TV? Let your pup cuddle up to them on the couch! Are the children playing catch outside? Encourage them to let your furry cutie join their game. You can also start a fun dog-friendly game that your guests can play too. Regardless of what activity you engage your pup in, they’re bound to have the time of their lives.

4. Keep Thanksgiving food away.

You can’t have Thanksgiving without the standard turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce and pie meal. Unfortunately, many of these foods can cause your fur-baby to feel sick. Review the list of foods your puppy can and can’t eat before something is fed to them. Tell your family members not to feed your furry friend any table scraps, even if they beg! If a guest wants to treat your pup to a snack, a couple of healthy DIY treats should do the trick!

5. Start an after-dinner tradition.

What’s your usual activity after Thanksgiving dinner? TV and conversation? A walk around the neighborhood? If your pup isn’t snoozing on their doggy bed, start engaging them in a game or activity, especially one that burns off those calories. Bring out their favorite toys and play with them for a while. Put on their leash and head outside for a quick walk. Whatever activity you do, you and your fur-baby will have a great bonding experience!

By following these tips, you will ensure your puppy is a part of the family this Thanksgiving. You may even have a little time to cook your pup their very own Thanksgiving meal. Just make sure your family members and guests understand how to approach and handle your puppy. We hope you and your furry soulmate have a terrific Turkey Day!

The regular engagements with people who had their decades-past pictures scanned are the best group to ask what plans they have for the holidays.

7 Ways to Surround Yourself with Cherished Moments to Celebrate Thanksgiving From Afar

3) Select a Game For Everyone To Play: Jackbox is a gaming service that allows you to Facetime with your friends while playing virtual games.

Happy Thanksgiving, America! The national holiday will be celebrated across the entirety of the United States but why does the country celebrate Thanksgiving?

07:00, 28 NOV 2019

Thanksgiving is perhaps the quintessential American holiday.

The annual celebrations occur on the third Thursday of every November and sees the Americans get out their traditional turkey and other requisite culinary treats.

They may make a fuss out of Halloween and Christmas too, but Thanksgiving seems to hold a special place in the hearts of Americans.

But why do Americans celebrate Thanksgiving?

Why is Thanksgiving celebrated in America?

Despite not becoming an official federal holiday in November until 1939 when it was made so by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with approval by congress, the origins of the holiday stretches back much further.

It can be traced back to 1621 when Pilgrims (settlers from England) in New England invited local Native Americans to their harvest celebrations to enjoy the harvest feast following a great season of growth.

Despite its pride of place in modern day Thanksgiving dinners, turkey was not on the menu.

Instead the Pilgrims and their guests would have enjoyed the likes of goose, cod, lobster, and deer.

The original celebrations lasted for three days instead of one and originate in the harvest celebrations in England at the time, however, these carry much less significance in modern day England.

It was then celebrated nationally on and off from 1789 after a proclamation by President George Washington.

It was not observed by President Thomas Jefferson, meaning it wasn’t until President Abraham Lincoln was in office that it became a federal holiday in 1863 during the American Civil War.

However, it was President Roosevelt who solidified the modern timings and dates despite some controversy.

What Thanksgiving traditions are there?

The go-to Thanksgiving meal includes turkey with stuffing and vegetables.

Also look out for Yams, which are a starchy root vegetable grown in the Caribbean, but usually mean sweet potato when referred to in the context of Thanksgiving.

The traditional dessert is usually pumpkin pie.

Elsewhere, look out for the annual Thanksgiving Day parades, most prominent of which is the Macy’s parade in New York City, New York.

There is usually an extravaganza of costumes, floats, performances, and large helium balloons shaped like cartoon charactrs.

There are usually major sporting events over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Is there a controversy around Thanksgiving?

Yes, some Native Americans are actively opposed to celebrating the holiday, which they see as a glorification of the displacement of their ancestors by colonial settlers who stole their land and brought disease upon them.

American Thanksgiving 2019 takes place on November 28, 2019.

Do you have any Thanksgiving Day plans? Let us know in the comments below.

Inside: Help your kids be more grateful and celebrate what they’re thankful for with this gratitude pumpkin that’s perfect for November and Thanksgiving.

This afternoon, I told my daughter she could have a cookie.

She immediately countered with her, “Can I have two cookies?”

So I reminded her to be grateful that I offered her a cookie in the first place by giving her a new choice: she could have one cookie or zero cookies.

She quickly chose the one cookie option.

And then I just looked at her.

We locked eyes for a moment, and then she said, “Thank you for the cookie, Mama.”

We have to purposefully teach our kids to be grateful for what they have in life.

And while teaching them to be thankful and grateful is a year-long activity, November and Thanksgiving is always a perfect time to really focus on gratitude.

So our family has a daily November tradition where we talk about, celebrate, and write down everything we’re thankful for on our Gratitude Pumpkin…which then becomes the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving table decor.

Supplies Needed for a Gratitude Pumpkin:

1. Pumpkin (Be sure to buy one before Halloween. After Halloween, pumpkins are scarce and pretty hard to find).

How to Make a Gratitude Pumpkin:

1. Keep your (non-cut) pumpkin on your kitchen or dining room table with a sharpie so it’s easy to remember to write on it.

2. Every evening when you eat dinner, discuss with your family what you’re grateful for.

Related: Want to encourage more gratitude? Use these free Gratitude Kindness Notes. Grab them here.

3. Start at the top of the pumpkin and write, “We are grateful for…” or “We are thankful for…”

4. Every evening, add a few things you’re grateful for, writing in a spiral around the pumpkin. In our family, we each add 1-3 things every night.

5. We start with the super important things we’re grateful for like our family members.

6. After we get through the important things, we start adding the fun and silly things we’re grateful for like coffee, Alexa, and family movie nights.

7. By the end of November, the whole pumpkin will be filled up with everything we’re thankful for.

8. We place our Gratitude Pumpkin on our Thanksgiving table as a centerpiece.

If you celebrate Thanksgiving with several families, invite them to join you in this November tradition and bring their own Gratitude Pumpkin to decorate the table too.

Want other Thanksgiving Activities:

Make Mayflower cups like the one on our table.

Want the free gratitude notes your kids can fill out and give to family and friends? Get them here.

We’re right in that sweet spot of the holiday season вЂ” just between Halloween and Christmas and all the holidays in between. It’s easy to celebrate Thanksgiving at home with family and hot food, but how do we celebrate Thanksgiving at work? With just a few creative ideas and some time to plan, it can be a lot more fun (and less difficult) than you might think.

Thanksgiving is the day so many people typically look forward to stuffing their faces with slices of a beautiful, golden turkey and the most delicious side dishes imaginable (and don’t forget about dessert). But, when it comes to celebrating Thanksgiving in the workplace, a full, sit-down family dinner isn’t always feasible. This year, it might be best not to focus on creating an all out feast for everyone in the office, and focus more on what Thanksgiving is really supposed to be about: giving thanks.

It’s not always easy to show thanks and appreciation for others, and many of us often forget what there is to be thankful for in our lives. Luckily, here is a list of a few simple ideas to help you plan the perfect office Thanksgiving celebration this year вЂ” something everyone can take part in and enjoy.

1. Volunteer Together

Thanksgiving is all about giving back. Volunteering is a fantastic way to get out of the office with your coworkers and give back to your community. Taking a few hours out of your day during the week of Thanksgiving to give your time to a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter can do a lot to help the people in your community вЂ” and it helps you bond with your coworkers. If you aren’t able to go out into your community and volunteer, another great way to give back is by creating a donation box in the office for canned goods and clothing that can be given to those who are less fortunate.

2. Have A Potluck

If you would like to do something more in the traditional spirit of Thanksgiving, hosting an office potluck is a great way to have a feast without anyone getting too overwhelmed. It’s totally perfect: Not only will there be a feast for everyone to enjoy, but each person can contribute their favorite Thanksgiving dish to the celebration, allowing everyone to bring their own personal touch to the party. Be careful not to fall asleep at your desk after lunch, though!

3. Do Something Nice For Others

Life can be overwhelming sometimes, and it’s easy to forget about the little things we can do to improve someone else’s day. Whether it’s holding the door open for your coworker, paying them a compliment as they pass, or having a conversation with someone you don’t normally talk to, taking just a few moments of your time can really make someone else’s day.

4. Hold A Recipe Contest

If your office is full of people who secretly (or not so secretly) love to bake and cook, then this is the perfect way to celebrate Thanksgiving at work this year. Not only will everyone in the office have the opportunity to bake some truly delicious homemade treats (all the pies), but everyone benefits when they get to taste everyone’s recipes. You never know who might hold the secret to making some amazing Thanksgiving stuffing.

**5. Host A Charlie Brown-Themed Thanksgiving Potluck**

This is one of the easiest options for celebrating Thanksgiving at work (and, perhaps, one of the most fun). If you and your employees are a little more culinarily challenged and you’re fans of the Peanuts gang, try having a Charlie Brown-themed Thanksgiving potluck in the office this year. It might not be the best meal (toast, popcorn, jelly beans, and pretzels), but if you can get everyone on board to dress up as a Peanuts character (second Halloween!) then this could turn out to be a really fun idea for everyone involved.

6. Go Out To Eat

As simple as it might seem, setting aside some time to go out for a meal with your coworkers this Thanksgiving can be a great change of pace and provide a much-needed break. Settling on a place to eat might not be the easiest, but once you do you’ll be in for a good meal with great company and conversations that (hopefully) aren’t related to work for once. Just don’t forget to call the restaurant ahead of time!

7. Handwrite Thankfulness Notes

You might have heard this one before, but it’s a great idea that can be taken in a lot of different directions. Set up a system in your work place so everyone gets at least one note from someone else in the office. Anonymous or not, it’s always nice when someone you know pays you a genuine compliment вЂ” no matter if it’s about how great you are at what you do or how great you are as a person in general. Make sure someone else feels that wonderful feeling of happiness and appreciation this Thanksgiving.

Whatever you choose to do at work this Thanksgiving, showing your thankfulness for one another this holiday season is the best thing you can do to celebrate. So, gather everyone together, break out the apple cider, and host the best office Thanksgiving party this year.

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated every year for it to have an all around on 4 th Thursday of November, and for it to be commended as a government occasion. Different Thanksgiving festivities were held unpredictably amid the fall months for almost 150 years before it was recommended by the Continental Congress that the nation ought to have a national day of Thanksgiving wishes. According to history specialties propose that this was a political move as much as anything. The developing nation needed its own particular conventions and traditions to make a different non-English, American personality. Thanksgiving was immaculate on the grounds that it was an approach to respect the pioneers, the general population who initially left England to be free of abuse.

When is US Thanksgiving Day 2015?

Many people are not aware with day of thanksgiving 2015, Thanksgiving festival will be celebration on forth Thursday 26 th November of 2015. The Thanksgiving occasion has made considerable progress from its unassuming beginnings. Thanksgiving was commended amid the American Revolution in any event once and George Washington announced a day of thanksgiving in 1789 to stamp the end of the Revolutionary War. The occasion was praised by diverse states at distinctive times for a long time to take after.

Meal of First Thanksgiving Day

While there isn’t any confirmation that Turkey was even served on that first Thanksgiving, it has turned into a staple centerpiece for an occasion that has turned out to be less about expressing appreciation and more about social event family and companions for an extensive supper. Indeed, it is proposed that very nearly 90% of Thanksgiving dinner and meal incorporate turkey of some structure. Indeed, even vegans praising this occasion have made Turkey, a tofu turkey swap for the day. Fish, which was likely on the first menu, is no more regularly connected with the occasion. One of the biggest changes in the