Next week is Thanksgiving. There will be gatherings and celebrations enjoyed with family and food. It is the most American of all the holidays we observe. It’s not a day for exchanging gifts. It’s not a celebration of the start of a new year or the birthdays of presidents. It’s not a day of commemorations or historical events. As important as all of those types of holidays are, Thanksgiving is specifically for giving thanks for whatever blessings we have or hope to have. It’s also a day to share with family and friends and give silence to our differences whether they be political, religious, work related, or even family disputes.
Of course, it may sound like a cliché, but it is a time to be thankful for all things good in our lives. It’s a time to reminisce about past Thanksgivings and the meaning of the holiday with family and friends. And how do we do that? We eat and watch sports on TV. Following are some “facts” regarding The Thanksgiving “feast.”
The most preferred meat for the Day is turkey with ham coming in a close second. One of the favorite side dishes with the meal is green bean casserole. It was created by the Campbell Soup Company in 1955 as a way to sell more soup. Cranberries have a place at the table and according to historical tradition they have been so since the 1600’s. There are about 46 million turkeys prepared each year for the Thanksgiving meal, but it may surprise you that about 80 percent of Americans prefer the leftovers to the actual meal on Thanksgiving Day.
Another tidbit of info about Thanksgiving turkeys was its inspiration for the first TV dinners. Apparently, in 1953 a Swanson (big name in the turkey business) employee accidently ordered too many turkeys for the holiday. To handle the excess shipment of birds they took inspiration of prepared meals on airplanes and filled 5,000 aluminum trays with turkey and added cornbread dressing, gravy, peas and sweet potatoes. Thus, was borne the recognition of TV dinners.
American Presidents have been a big part of promoting Thanksgiving as a holiday. In 1789 George Washington made a proclamation that Americans should celebrate a day of thanksgiving to God on November 26th. However, President Thomas Jefferson was an exception to that tradition. A founding father and the author of the Declaration of Independence he refused to recognize the Thanksgiving event as a national holiday because he believed it violated the separation of church and state and therefore thought it would violate the First Amendment of the Constitution. He thought it should be a state holiday rather than a national holiday. Fortunately, his idea was quickly passed over.
It was sporadically promoted by presidents after him until Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November to be an annual day of Thanksgiving. It was changed to the fourth Thursday of November by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The first President to pardon a turkey was John F. Kennedy, followed by Richard Nixon who sent the White House turkey to a petting zoo. President George H.W. Bush formalized the pardoning tradition in 1989.
After family and friends have gathered, gave thanks, and consumed the feast it’s time for football. For whatever reason, football has become the turn-to event to complete the holiday. The tradition of a Thanksgiving football game began in 1876 between Yale and Princeton. The National Football League tradition officially began in 1920. The NFL game on Thanksgiving Day became a fixture in Detroit in 1945 and Dallas in 1966. The Lions are the most successful franchise on NFL Thanksgiving Day games with a total of 37 wins. The Cowboys hold the second most wins with 30. However, these two teams have had the most games played on Thanksgiving.
One last thing…This time of year is about family and friends and peace on earth for all good people. The peace part isn’t working out so well if indeed it ever has. Take time with family and friends outside the usual hubbub and enjoy the season. Happy Thanksgiving and stay tuned…
Comments welcome at wayneswords@thetimesweekly.com
