Football and James Bond marathons on the television? Boxed wine socially acceptable? An inexplicable desire to eat from the second you open your eyes this morning.? Oh yes, it must be Thanksgiving Day!Like most holidays, Thanksgiving's origins are somewhat disconnected from its contemporary form. A History Channel special last night taught me that Thanksgiving was indeed linked to this nation's earliest settlers, the Pilgrims, and their desire to share and celebrate their life in this New World with the local, indigenous people, the Native Americans. It was we (white folk) who were the illegal immigrants so many years ago! And these continental squatters did their best to improve the land, to till the earth and to make for a new life for themselves and their families.
And as the United States of America grew, so did the tradition of Thanksgiving. By 1864, President Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November to be a national holiday of giving thanks. Politically, Lincoln may have already had the reconciliation between the North and South in mind (the holiday decree came after the pivotal battle of Gettysburg). But to understand Thanksgiving is to know this nation's history. Why is the turkey the traditional main course for this holiday? Because our founding fathers (particularly Benjamin Franklin, who wanted the bird to be our national symbol instead of the scavenger Bald Eagle!) adored this native wild game. Yes, in the late 18th Century, people regarded the turkey as a noble creature! And why did the last Thursday in November become the holiday? Partly because a popular widower/publisher named Sarah Josepha Hale (the Oprah Winfrey of her time) wrote letters and editorials repeatedly asking for this particular day to be a national holiday.
Seeing today's holiday through the eyes of centuries past is an important exercise. We enjoy a lot of luxuries that our predecessors could not have imagined possible. In fact, you don't even need to go that far back into history to understand how quickly life is moving in this country. Think back fifteen years ago, before everyone was on the internet. Think of how shopping for presents meant you HAD TO go to a store. Now, you can choose to stay at home and click away all of your efforts. But the important stuff, the fact that we don't have to hunt for our own food or worry about how a head cold could mean death, is what matters most on this day. Life may not be easy for many people out there, but it isn't nearly as difficult as what our ancestors (not only from America, but from all over the world) had to endure.
So, enjoy the day. Eat, drink and repeat the process until you find it difficult to breathe. And take a quick moment to give thanks to those whom you've never known that have helped make this life of plenty possible. Happy Thanksgiving.
