Every year, just as Halloween passes, and the reality of the impending Christmas shopping season takes residence, the question arises of when is Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving holiday has been celebrated in the United States since 1789, when President George Washington proclaimed that the annual date for Thanksgiving was to be on the last Thursday of November. As the unofficial kickoff of the Christmas holiday season for retailers traditionally begins the day after Thanksgiving, the designation of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday, rather than the last, provides for a longer holiday shopping season.

The question of when is Thanksgiving has not always had a consistent answer. In 1676, 55 years after the Pilgrims’ first feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, had issued the first annual United States Thanksgiving Proclamation. On this date, the council declared that June 29, 1676 was to be a day of Thanksgiving to God for the good fortune they had secured in their new land. While Thanksgiving is traditionally depicted as the feast commemorating the bonds of friendship forged between the English settlers in Massachusetts and the Native Americans celebrated by a three day harvest celebration in 1621. Oddly enough, the language of the original proclamation of 1676 declares a day for praise to God for his blessings and protection against “the Heathen Natives of this land”.

On October 3, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln stated that the last Thursday of November “as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens”. After Lincoln, the following presidents continued to issue a proclamation on an annual basis, declaring when is Thanksgiving, although it always continued to be celebrated and enjoyed on the very last Thursday in the month of November all the way until 1939.

In 1939, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in an attempt to increase merchant spending during the Christmas holiday season, declared Thanksgiving to be on the 4th Thursday of November, as the month of November has 5 Thursdays that year, thereby extending the holiday shopping season. At that time in history, which was also during The Great Depression, it was considered inappropriate to advertise goods as Christmas gifts before Thanksgiving. The following year, 1940, November had 4 Thursdays, and Roosevelt proclaimed that Thanksgiving would fall on the third Thursday of November. At this time, the annual presidential declaration of the Thanksgiving Day holiday was not legally binding so it was up to the individual states to decide when is Thanksgiving, which of course was considered a government holiday.



By: Lillian Wills

About the Author:

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday full of fun, feasting, family and football.  But it can also be a time to start new traditions meant to increase your family’s thanks and encourage giving.  You can use Thanksgiving as a springboard to cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude and awareness of the needs of others.  Here’s some simple and even fun ideas to get you started.

More Thanks

1. Make a blessings box.  Pass out lots of slips of brightly colored paper to your family and guests at the beginning of the day.  Ask them to write one thing they are thankful for on each slip of paper, and then write something else on the next one, etc.  It can be silly, like “I’m thankful for SpongeBob cartoons” or it can be serious, as in “I’m grateful Aunt Betty is feeling better”.  But it should be specific.  Then place all the pieces of paper in a gift box, mix them up and read them after turkey dinner.  If you need incentive to get the kids thinking, you could offer a small prize like a candy bar to whoever comes up with the most items.  The object, of course, is to inspire your family to count their blessings.

2. Create certificates of appreciation. Use your computer software to set up official looking certificates and print them.  The certificate should say something like,  “Every Thanksgiving our family tradition is for each of us to choose one special person to whom we would like to express our appreciation.  This year, I have chosen you to thank because…. There should be blanks on the certificate to fill in the person’s name, date, and why they have been chosen.  For example, your daughter might decide to thank an old teacher for inspiring her love of reading.  Or your son might want to show gratitude to his best friend’s father for taking him along with them to the baseball game.  It should be someone outside the immediate family.  After Thanksgiving, they can mail the certificates or present them in person.

3. Thank the troops. There are websites that will tell you how to send holiday cards and letters to the troops stationed overseas.   Take the time to let a stranger in the military know that you support and appreciate their sacrifice.

4. Report a job well done. Have you received consistently good service from someone throughout the year?  It could be your hair stylist, a waiter, a patient store employee who seemed eager to answer all your questions?  Every Thanksgiving, make a list of those people.  Jot down a quick note that outlines the attentive care you received from that person, and then send it to their supervisor and also a copy to them. 

5. Start a family gratitude journal.  Beginning at Thanksgiving dinner and continuing on to mealtimes throughout the year, ask each family member what they are grateful for that day.  Write down all the comments.  It’s a great way to collectively focus on the positive.

Extra Giving

6. Invite someone to Thanksgiving dinner.  Is your elderly neighbor unable to make the big 200 mile trip to her family’s gathering, but would be able to travel across the street to your house?  How about your single friend who just lost her mother?  Don’t assume that people have Thanksgiving plans.  Instead, ask “what are you doing for Thanksgiving?”  The holidays are a rough time to be alone, so make sure that no one that you care about spends Thanksgiving that way.

7. Make a video with highlights of the day for someone who couldn’t make it.  If there are circumstances preventing a family member from joining you on Thanksgiving, document it for them.  Whether you use a camcorder or the movie mode on your digital camera, take footage of the festivities.  Include special messages from each person there.  You can edit it in Windows Movie Maker, burn it onto a DVD and mail it to them, so they don’t feel left out.  If you have a teenager, this could be a project they would enjoy.

8. Love thy neighbor.  Ask each family member to think of one specific thing they could do for a particular neighbor.  For example, I could mow their lawn, rake the leaves, shovel snow, give a ride, babysit, run an errand, bring over cookies or just spend some time visiting with them.  Then encourage them to put that into practice.  Just imagine how nice your neighborhood would be to live in, if everyone on the block adopted this tradition!

9. Issue the not so random acts of kindness challenge.  While you’re eating pumpkin pie, call upon those around the table to come up with ideas for nice little things they can do for others.  Here are some suggestions.  You could donate books you’ve already read to the library or toys you’ve outgrown to the homeless shelter.  If you see litter, you could pick it up and put it in the trash can.  You could let someone cut in front of you in line or put a quarter in an expired parking meter.  You could pick a flower from your garden and give it to a friend.  Make a list of those ideas and in the coming months, see how many little acts of kindness your family can accomplish.

10. Sponsor a child from a third world country.  Thanksgiving is a great time to begin.  As your family is giving thanks, why not reach out to someone less fortunate? 

So, go ahead and dig into those candied sweet potatoes, watch the parade on TV and listen to grandpa reminisce about the good old days.  Then go beyond the turkey and make this holiday the most memorable Thanksgiving of all.  By adopting some of these new family traditions for counting blessings and reaching out to others, you’ll be putting the thanks and the giving back into the holiday.



By: Linda Kling

About the Author:

Holiday shopping can indeed be a daunting task if one were to consider the infinite choices of gift items available. Your long list of relatives and friends doesn’t help the fact that the rising prices of common gift items such as electronic devices and clothes seemingly won’t come to a halt.

Most of us fail to realize that a memorable gift doesn’t necessarily have to be pricey. When shopping during the holidays, try searching for an item that captures the spirit of the occasion. Gifts that are best remembered are those that touch the heart. While finding the perfect gift for your loved ones hardly ever comes easy, we’ve come up with a few holiday gift ideas that may just want to consider.

• engraved pens

• decorative picture frames

• personalized mugs

• decorative money banks

• pocket knives

• stationeries

• wall hangings

Shopping for gifts on a tight budget might sound a bit ironic, if not unrealistic. Do keep in mind however, that items such as mugs and stationeries shouldn’t cost more than $10 each in local department stores and hobby shops. At just under $20 you can purchase decorative items such wooden vases, plant holders, and candle holders. Since most homeowners spend a great deal of time redecorating or renovating during the holidays, it would be wise to shop for simple, inexpensive home accents during this time of the year.

If stretching your budget is not an option, don’t be discouraged. There are limitless choices of holiday gift items that are just waiting to be discovered. Sometimes all it takes is just a little imagination. For more gift ideas, visit www.HomeDecorCenter.com

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By: Robert Najafinia

About the Author:

Ever since the traditional “first Thanksgiving”" celebration in 1621, there have been many subsequent celebrations. I have read that the first recorded Thanksgiving observance was held on June 29, 1671 at Charlestown, Massachusetts by proclamation of the town’s governing council.

During the 1700s, it was common practice for individual colonies to observe days of thanksgiving throughout each year. Those observances were to be a day set aside for prayer and fasting.

Later in the 18th century it was common for each of the states to periodically designate a day of thanksgiving in honor of a military victory, an adoption of a state constitution, or an abundant crop. There was a Thanksgiving Day celebration in December of 1777 by the colonies nationwide, commemorating the surrender of the British at Saratoga.

But it was President Abraham Lincoln, on October 3, 1863, who issued a proclamation calling for the observance of the fourth Tuesday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving. Here is that proclamation:

“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.”

“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.”

“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”

“In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.”

“Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth, by the President, Abraham Lincoln.”

Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every president after Lincoln. But Franklin Roosevelt made it one week earlier, on the 2nd-to-last Thursday in order to make a longer Christmas shopping season. Public uproar against this decision caused the president to move Thanksgiving back to its original date two years later. And in 1941, the Congress finally sanctioned Thanksgiving as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.

Perhaps in these days we are living in, it is a good idea to stop and be thankful for what we have. We still have a lot to be thankful for.



By: Michael A. Verdicchio

About the Author:

Fall is off to a sensational start and the word for this season is style! For the floral fan, our bestseller is back with attitude! Fields of Europe for Fall is a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers, rover mums, miniature carnations and more, artistically designed in a glass vase with river rocks. It’s a great gift for birthdays and considering the most popular birthday in the world just happens to be celebrated on October 5th, this is a win-win surprise that brings a touch of autumn to the home or office! Another big floral winner of the season that fits for any occasion is 1-800-FLOWERS Autumn Inspiration, designed in a stunning lavender glass that resembles the shape of a heart and displays an eye-catching harvest bouquet of fresh roses, lilies, lisianthus and more!

Know someone who loves to explore? Columbus Day is October 13th and they can discover a new world of snacking with our Fall Feasting Favorite! This keepsake box is filled with treats galore, including delicious varieties of summer sausage, smoked cheddar and sharp cheddar cheese from the cheese maker of Tillamook Oregon, hickory smoked almonds and more!

Who’s bossing you around these days? Boss’s Day is on October 16th and we have fall favorites to celebrate everyone from that special CEO to your magnificent manager! Give great gifts of the season that impress like our Basket of Apple Delights that includes orchard-fresh apple cider, apple butter, and more! Our Bounty of the Fall Tower is a 3-tier tower that always gets a favorable review! Each tier is filled with a special delight including fresh orchard fruit, Harry London chocolate pecan stars, shortbread cookies and more.

Who are you sweet on? Let them know on Sweetest Day, October 18th! This fun fall occasion is a great time to tell your girlfriend, boyfriend, a secret crush or your true love that “you’re sweet on them!” A striking bouquet of Sweetheart Roses in stunning colors or an impressive gift of 3 lbs of Harry London premium milk chocolate smothered over creamy caramel pecan patties, savory gourmet pretzels and sweet graham crackers will give them a dozen ideas of why you must be sweet on them!

Speaking of sweet occasions, Mother-in-Law Day is October 26th! Celebrate that special lady with a gift by Julie Mulligan that says, “thanks for raising the one I love!”-Country Harvest. This gorgeous gathering of bronze mums, brown and yellow roses, yarrow and hypericum berries is gathered and displayed in a vintage-inspired green ceramic pitcher that is food-safe and can be used over and over again at family gatherings once the flowers have faded.

Ghouls and boys alike will scream with delight with the wonderful treats we have in store for Halloween! Even if your tricksters are college age or older, no one ever outgrows our Halloween Treat Bags. These adorable candy bags come in three different styles, a bat, a pumpkin or a spider and each come filled with fun candy that no one will be able to resist! Just imagine that surprise coming to their dorm room!

Don’t forget to vote! Remember, Election Day is November 4th and this year is a presidential vote which means there will be a lot more people heading out to the polls! Send a special surprise to a first-time voter, a local candidate who has worked hard in your community or one of those tireless workers behind the ballots and thank them for surviving the election with a great gift like The Popcorn Factory Survival Treat Pail. This colorful pail is filled with gourmet cheese and almond popcorn, Jelly Belly® jelly beans, Tootsie Rolls and more!

Don’t forget Veteran’s Day is November 11th! Along with giving a special Veteran a reason to smile, send thanks to the scores of caregivers, nurses and doctors who work for the many programs and hospitals helping our Veterans every day. Remember them with a gift that clearly shows your appreciation and gratitude like our Red, White and Beautiful Wreath that features navy blue caspia and silk daisies in red, white and blue on a twig base with a charming flag banner ribbon hanger.

Reminder of Fall Occasions:

Here are the occasion dates:

[October]

World’s Most Popular Birthday, Oct 5th

Columbus Day, Oct 13th

Boss’s Day, Oct 16th Sweetest Day, Oct 18th

Mother-In-Law Day, Oct 26th Halloween, Oct 31st

[November]

Election Day, Nov 4th

Veterans Day, Nov 11th

Thanksgiving Nov 22nd



By: Thea Reid

About the Author:

This thanksgiving you can be honored by God. And you can be sealed. This is the easy way. Once you make a move the rest just falls into place. God wants to do all the work for you.

Thanksgiving was first celebrated by the settlers at Plymouth. It was popularized by the Puritans who gave thanks to God for the harvest, the rains, and victories in battle. The holiday was made national by Abraham Lincoln.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching. You are taking off time from work or school to prepare for the holiday. You may even go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving if you do not mind the huge crowd of other shoppers.

You are probably planning to spend time with your family or loved ones. You are doing what many others are doing. But have you thought about how God wants you to recognize this American tradition?

Giving thanks to God is vital to spiritual life. It is crucial. It is necessary to give God thanks to show Him you appreciate what He has done for you. And if you stop and consider you will find He has done much for you.

Since thanksgiving was made popular as a time to give thanks to God that is what it should be today. It is time off from work and time to be with family. Turkey time. And for the men, football time.

But God deserves a little of your time this holiday season. And what does God want? He wants you to show Him you recognize Him for all He has done for you. And yet this is not always so easy.

If you can just take a moment here and there in the coming few days God will appreciate it. He will be thankful in return. It does not matter if it is late, coming after Thursday November 22.

It could be Saturday the 24th. It could be Sunday. After that or before it. What matters is that you take a little moment, or a few little moments, and honor God for what He has given you.

God has given most Americans abundant blessings. Some people may argue that what they have is not from God. But God has given gifts to people in mysterious ways. And we do not always easily see what He has given us.

Some people have acquired great wealth by their own efforts. They call themselves “self-made.” They might argue that God did not give them that money. He did not provide for them. They made the money on their own.

But God did give them gifts. And they honored God by using those gifts and prospering. The crowning honor would be to thank God for giving them the tools to use to become wealthy.

Because when you honor God by thanking Him then He will honor you in return. He will recognize you in return. You must show Him you know He is the one ultimately responsible for your life. For your future.

All it takes is a moment. “Thank you, Father in Jesus Name, for providing for me.” Done. Jesus thanked God when he blessed the bread at His Last Supper. If He could thank Him at that time you can thank Him now.

When you do it just once you will notice a difference. You will want to do it again. “Thank you, Father in Jesus Name, for my health.” He hears you from Heaven. He honors you just as you honor Him.

And you want to be honored. You want more blessings from God. That is the easy way. You do not have to do it all yourself. You have a benefactor. He is the God who gives you blessings, like the blessing of sealing you.



By: Jason Witt

About the Author:

The Seal is a gift you can give yourself or your loved ones this holiday season. Indeed the Seal is the best gift you can give yourself if you want God to give you a better future for yourself and your friends and family.

The holiday season is upon us. By the time you read this Thanksgiving will have come and gone. You have a lot to be thankful for when you look at your life. But God is not the only one you need to thank.

You need to thank yourself for reading this. Just for looking at it. Because you may not be ready to be sealed but you are close. They say close does not count. But close is better than far away. At least in this case.

When you are close to this message you are close to God. And if you doubt it at least you are approaching. You can always change your mind and get closer yet. That is what God wants.

And God wants you to become sealed. He wants to write His Name upon you. He wants to own you. So you belong to Him. So you represent Him. So you are not concerned about yourself only anymore but about Him.

When you are sealed you will change. Forever. Even if you sin again and forsake God. You will still be a different person. It will change you on the inside. It will change your soul, heart, and Spirit.

One of the biggest changes will be caring for God. You may think you care for God now. You may think you belong to Him. But this is different. This is not about having more faith in Jesus.

This is about being marked with the imprint of God’s character. This is about becoming like God. When He writes His Name upon you it is because you have earned the right to be called by the Name of God. And when you have earned that right you become like God.

When you become like God you do not care about Him as a worshipper. You do not care about Him as a benefactor buying you back from sin. You do not care about Him as a humble man awestruck by His majesty.

You care about Him as a friend. A peer. A comrade. You care about Him as a person who is not accounted sinful, just like God does not sin. You care about Him as spiritual royalty cares about other royal persons.

And God cares about you. When you belong to Him He will take care of you. When you are His possession bearing His Name He will attend to you. You may say that God will never forsake you anyway.

But that is not exactly true. Jesus will never leave you and never forsake you. But you do not want to be on His bad side! You do not want Him to linger when you have strayed by sinning.

You may think you want Jesus to come and get you when you have strayed away. But you do not want to be punished for it. And you strayed away in the first place. You were not pleased with the Presence of God.

That will change when you are sealed. The Holy Spirit will visit you. First He will comfort you. Then He will sustain you with pleasures you have never known before. He will share His own Pleasure with you.

His Pleasure goes beyond peace and any human joy or fulfillment. Once you taste of His Pleasure you will be ready to give up anything to have more of it. And you do not have to worry about any ethical questions with His kind of Pleasure.

It is not illegal in most places in the world to belong to God. You may suffer persecution for it. But when you are sealed and bear His Name it no longer matters what people think or say or do to you.

Becoming sealed is the best gift you can give yourself and your loved ones. The way to get started is to learn more about it from me. Since I already have it I can show you how to receive the Seal.



By: Jason Witt

About the Author:

Thanksgiving in India

Thanksgiving Day in India is celebrated in quite a few parts of India, because of the spread of western culture. It is a major festivity observed by Christians primarily in the state of Goa, which is India’s smallest state in terms of area and the second smallest in terms of population. It is known for its fabled tropical beaches and world heritage architecture.  The celebration date varies in different parts of Goa, but generally is celebrated on the 15th of August every year where it is popularly known as ‘Ladin’ or Ladainha’. ‘Ladin’ literally means a litany to the Virging Mary. During the Thanksgiving ritual, people thank God for all the material and spiritual benefits they have. The function is sponsored by a different person every year that either has been lucky enough to have God’s special grace or seeks benefits.

Christians start preparing for Thanksgiving celebrations by purchasing wheat and gram, candles, wine and colored tinsel paper. A temporary platform/altar is constructed which is decorated with flowers, vines and creepers. Celebrations also include singing of hymns and prayers. The village local violinist/choirmaster conducts the entire show of singing of litany. It conveys the universal feeling of being thankful to Lord Almighty for his continuous grace. Another celebration associated with the feeling of Thanksgiving, is the popular religious feast of conception of Mother Mary. It is a time for farmers to cut the first harvest of milk-filed corn from the rice field and offer it to God. This is done to seek God’s blessing for a good harvest in the coming season.

Thanksgiving in Pakistan

Pakistan spends 3 days for their celebration, which is done on the 10th month of the Muslim calendar. People dress in new clothes and go to the mosque to attend SALATAUL EID (EID prayers). The younger family members pay respect and visit homes of elder relatives. Children look forward to EID because it is customary to receive EID in form of gifts in cash. The greeting is EID MUBARA, which means Blessed EID. All Muslims are expected to extend to the needy. It marks the end to Ramadan.

Thanksgiving in Korea

Korean thanksgiving is called Chusok, which is a 3-day harvest celebration. It is the biggest migration event in modern Korea. More than one half of the population visits families and ancestral graves. Men don’t do any of the cooking and women spend many days and weeks preparing food for the celebration for the harvest celebration, which takes place at the eldest son’s home and is based on the paternal lineage. It falls between September and October, or August 15 on the lunar calendar. The eat rice, pears, juju beans, chestnuts; sesame seeds and use pine bark needles.



By: CD Mohatta

About the Author:

Fun Thanksgiving Facts

 



 

Let’s talk turkey!

 



Americans feast on 535 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving.

According the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the United States at Thanksgiving. That number represents one sixth of all the turkeys sold in the U.S. each year!

Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national bird.

Domesticated turkeys cannot fly, however wild turkeys can fly up to 55 miles per hour over short distances.

Only male (tom) turkeys gobble. Females make a clicking noise. The famous gobble is actually a seasonal mating call.

The Turkey Trot, a ballroom dance in the 1900s, was named for the short, jerky steps of the turkey. It became popular mainly because it was denounced by the Vatican as “suggestive.”

Turkeys are known to spend the night in trees! (Maybe to escape the Thanksgiving table?)

Turkeys can drown if they look up when it’s raining!

A turkey’s field of vision is 270 degrees–one of the main reasons they’re able to elude some hunters.

The average person consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. Now that’s a lot of turkey!



 

Thanksgiving Is Not Just an “American” Holiday

 

Giving thanks on Thanksgiving is an important American tradition, but it’s not ours alone. In fact, six other nations besides the U.S. have officially declared Thanksgiving Days: Brazil, Canada, Japan, Korea, Switzerland and Argentina. Thanksgiving celebrations have also been celebrated for hundreds of years, including in some ancient cultures.

 

The Greeks

The ancient Greeks celebrated a festival of the harvest called Thesmosphoria each autumn. Their goddess of corn and other grains was Demeter who was honored at the festival.

 

The Romans

The Romans also celebrated a fall harvest festival in honor of their goddess of corn, Ceres (where the word cereal comes from). The Romans celebrated a Thanksgiving feast where they offered the first fruits of the harvest and pigs to Ceres. Their Thanksgiving was held on October 4th each autumn.

 

The Chinese

The ancient Chinese celebrated their harvest festival, Chung Ch’ui, in accordance with the full moon that fell on the 15th day of the 8th month. They considered this day to be the birthday of the moon. Special “moon cakes” were baked and stamped with a picture of a rabbit to honor their belief that a rabbit is on the face of the moon. These cakes were eaten with a Thanksgiving meal during the 3-day festival. It was believed that flowers would fall from the moon during the festival and those that saw the flowers would soon receive good fortune.

 

The Hebrews

Jewish families also celebrate a harvest festival called Sukkoth. This autumn festival has been celebrated for over 3000 years. Sukkoth begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, 5 days after Yom Kippur, the most solemn day of the Jewish year. The holiday is named for the huts (succots) that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land. Sukkoth lasts for 8 days and Jewish people construct temporary huts from branches with a covered roof made of with foliage that allows the natural sunlight in. Fruits and vegetables, including apples, grapes, corn and pomegranates hang inside the hut and on the first 2 nights of Sukkoth, the families eat their meals in the huts under the evening sky.

 

The Egyptians

The ancient Egyptians celebrated their harvest festival in honor of Min, their god of vegetation and fertility. The festival was held in the springtime, the Egyptians’ harvest season and featured a parade in which the Pharaoh took part. After the parade a great feast was held with music, dancing and sports as part of the celebration. When the Egyptian farmers harvested their corn, they wept and pretended to be grief stricken to deceive the spirit which they believed lived in the corn.

Give a gift that gets thanks this year. Send gorgeous fresh flower arrangements, centerpieces for the holiday table, terrific gourmet gift baskets and more to everyone you’re thankful for! Thanksgiving Flowers and Gifts from 1800 Flowers.com



By: Thea Reid

About the Author:

Thanksgiving is an American tradition that truly celebrates family - a time in the year when relatives and friends get together and exchange notes on what’s gone by. But what does Thanksgiving mean to your kids?

While they look forward to meeting their favorite uncles and aunts, maybe even receiving gifts from them, Thanksgiving has no special activity that caters exclusively to them. A whole lot of adults meeting to catch up on the family news, over an elaborate dinner, is hardly something to excite kids, so that they are largely left to themselves, and may end up feeling a bit left out.

As a dad you can help your kids by explaining the meaning of Thanksgiving. Knowing about it and what it stands for will help them appreciate the essence of this celebration.

Getting children to help with preparing the Thanksgiving dinner could be another way to make them feel included. Not only does it make them feel responsible, they’ll look forward to the event of the actual dinner much more if they’ve had a role to play in its preparation.

5 tips for the best Thanksgiving ever

1. Keep it simple - Even if both you and your spouse like a Thanksgiving table over-flowing with all the possible Thanksgiving items, consider cutting back on some items or getting store-bought items. The stress you eliminate will make everyone enjoy the meal more.

2. Involve the kids - There are plenty of things they can do, from baking a simple pie or setting the table. Make sure you give them plenty of credit in front of all guests for the job they’ve done.

3. Pitch in - The year is 2008 and women no longer work all day in the kitchen while the guys lie on the floor waiting to be called to the table. Be proactive - volunteer for work you’ll enjoy and get into the spirit cheerfully. You’ll be happier doing a good deed without being nagged about it. And face it, you’ll have to do a bunch of stuff anyway, so you’re better off getting points for doing it on your terms.

4. Create traditions if you want to create meaning - Kids thrive on traditions, even the ones they might complain about in their teen years are the ones you may see them re-creating twenty years from now in their own homes. The best traditions are ones that have meaning for the family because they relate to the family history or have taken on a history of their own over time. Don’t shy away from creating your own traditions, however. Some examples:

* A prayer said by the youngest talking member of the family.

* Allowing each child to choose a food item that is served every year.

5. Consider not drinking alcohol during Thanksgiving - while this might be difficult for some to imagine, you may want to give it a try if previous holiday meals were emotional or anger-filled.



By: Paul Banas

About the Author: