Thanksgiving Time
Date Published: 11/24/2016
Thanksgiving Time
It is that time of year again for those of us in the US to do what we do best; take time off work, stuff our faces then shop till we drop. Your Thanksgiving celebration more than likely includes a gathering of family & friends, and football, with a turkey dinner and all the trimmings; probably on the verge of gluttony. Many of us have forgotten why the day was established. Its meaning has slowly deteriorated, and is now almost completely lost under a cloud of media hype. Before you pull up to the table to enjoy your delicious Thanksgiving feast, consider the opportunities this day presents to teach children about the important values of Thanksgiving, such as thankfulness, gratitude, and family. Remind them of the history and reason for this day.
Thanksgiving originated to celebrate the first successful Harvest Season. In 1621, the first Thanksgiving Dinner occurred between the Pilgrims and Indians and became a yearly tradition that is celebrated every year in both the United States and Canada. In the earlier years of Thanksgiving it was celebrated on various days throughout the year and it was different from state to state. It wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln made the decision of making it consistent throughout the county for everyone to celebrate on the same day every year in 1863. And in 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt made Thanksgiving a national holiday.
In many households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on the menu when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621. Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird—whether roasted, baked or deep-fried—on Thanksgiving, per the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate.
This year, as Thanksgiving Day approaches, ponder and consider the many wonderful blessings you enjoy. Before you and your family eat Thanksgiving dinner, or begin watching a parade or football game, be sure to take time to truly be thankful for all the blessings you have been given. Try to move the spirit of Thanksgiving from a one-day event to a basic life attitude. My wish for you and your family-Be thankful always, not just at Thanksgiving Time.
Mary Beth Iannarella
Girl Talk Marlton/The Wishwall Foundation
www.girltalkmarlton.org
www.thewishwallfoundation.org
Thanksgiving Time by Langston Hughes
When the night winds whistle through the trees and blow the crisp brown leaves a-crackling down,
When the autumn moon is big and yellow-orange and round,
When old Jack Frost is sparkling on the ground,
It's Thanksgiving Time!
When the pantry jars are full of mince-meat and the shelves are laden with sweet spices for a cake
When the butcher man sends up a turkey nice and fat to bake,
When the stores are crammed with everything ingenious cooks can make,
It's Thanksgiving Time!
When the gales of coming winter outside your window howl,
When the Air is sharp and cheery so it drives away your scowl,
When one's appetite craves turkey, and will have no other fowl,
It's Thanksgiving Time!
It is that time of year again for those of us in the US to do what we do best; take time off work, stuff our faces then shop till we drop. Your Thanksgiving celebration more than likely includes a gathering of family & friends, and football, with a turkey dinner and all the trimmings; probably on the verge of gluttony. Many of us have forgotten why the day was established. Its meaning has slowly deteriorated, and is now almost completely lost under a cloud of media hype. Before you pull up to the table to enjoy your delicious Thanksgiving feast, consider the opportunities this day presents to teach children about the important values of Thanksgiving, such as thankfulness, gratitude, and family. Remind them of the history and reason for this day.
Thanksgiving originated to celebrate the first successful Harvest Season. In 1621, the first Thanksgiving Dinner occurred between the Pilgrims and Indians and became a yearly tradition that is celebrated every year in both the United States and Canada. In the earlier years of Thanksgiving it was celebrated on various days throughout the year and it was different from state to state. It wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln made the decision of making it consistent throughout the county for everyone to celebrate on the same day every year in 1863. And in 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt made Thanksgiving a national holiday.
In many households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on the menu when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621. Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird—whether roasted, baked or deep-fried—on Thanksgiving, per the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate.
This year, as Thanksgiving Day approaches, ponder and consider the many wonderful blessings you enjoy. Before you and your family eat Thanksgiving dinner, or begin watching a parade or football game, be sure to take time to truly be thankful for all the blessings you have been given. Try to move the spirit of Thanksgiving from a one-day event to a basic life attitude. My wish for you and your family-Be thankful always, not just at Thanksgiving Time.
Mary Beth Iannarella
Girl Talk Marlton/The Wishwall Foundation
www.girltalkmarlton.org
www.thewishwallfoundation.org
Thanksgiving Time by Langston Hughes
When the night winds whistle through the trees and blow the crisp brown leaves a-crackling down,
When the autumn moon is big and yellow-orange and round,
When old Jack Frost is sparkling on the ground,
It's Thanksgiving Time!
When the pantry jars are full of mince-meat and the shelves are laden with sweet spices for a cake
When the butcher man sends up a turkey nice and fat to bake,
When the stores are crammed with everything ingenious cooks can make,
It's Thanksgiving Time!
When the gales of coming winter outside your window howl,
When the Air is sharp and cheery so it drives away your scowl,
When one's appetite craves turkey, and will have no other fowl,
It's Thanksgiving Time!
