Thanksgiving Comes In Many Versions, All Good

We usually think of Thanksgiving as a big family time with grandparents, kids, cousins, uncles, aunts and all the assorted relatives. While that may be true when you are young, life constantly changes traditions.

Most of us know the first Thanksgiving was in 1621. It was a bountiful dinner between the Wampanoag natives and the pilgrims. Two cultures came together peacefully and gave thanks for a bountiful harvest. The event was recorded by William Bradford, governor of Plymouth, Mass.

It was Sarah Josepha Hale, in the 1800s, who read Bradford’s Thanksgiving account and began a serious letter-writing campaign to make it a national holiday. It took five American presidents to find success with our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln hoped it might help to unite the country. He declared the holiday to be the last Thursday in November.

Then, in 1941, just before Pearl Harbor, Franklin Roosevelt realized that Thanksgiving would fall on Nov. 30, and he feared it would cut Christmas shopping short. So, with an act of Congress, it was changed to the fourth Thursday. This ticked off a few folks and only 32 states accepted it and 16 did not. Eventually they came around and the fourth Thursday in November was certainly accepted by Hawaii and Alaska when they became states.

I was a bit amused at the two cultures getting together and having a friendly feast. I think there are families of the same culture that have a bit of a problem with camaraderie at today’s Thanksgiving dining.

I have so much for which to be thankful this year, and yet, I must admit, at times, I have been a grump. I’m sick of hospitals and doctors, but very thankful they are here. After a heart surgery, two cataract surgeries, and a surgery to remove the wires in my chest from the heart surgery, I think I have had enough. My body did not like those wires holding my bones together and they had to go. This resulted in toting a wound vac around for a time.

But, as I complain, I look around and realize how fortunate I am. The road to recovery takes twists and turns but, I’m making it.

We didn’t always have a big Thanksgiving dinner when I was growing up. If it was just the four of us, we often had roast chicken or one year, I remember pork and sauerkraut. Two of the November holidays do stand out in my mind. One was at my Aunt Rachel’s in Texas Corner in the old Teeter/Clapper mansion. After a delightful feast, most of us hiked into the fields to look at a tree with some mysterious historic significance. God bless Aunt Rachel, who prepared that great meal on a cook stove and did dishes with a pump in her sink.

The other outstanding dinner was at my grandfather and step-grandmother’s home in Loysburg. They lived in what used to be a hotel just up the street from the old Methodist Church and had only been married a year or so. Mary was an outstanding cook and the table was laden with many dishes all served on her collection of Francisca Desert Rose dishes. It was so much food that my brother and I laid on the floor and groaned upon returning home.

Years passed, and before I knew it, I was the one making the Thanksgiving dinner. It was something I always enjoyed and still would, but family members are so scattered these days it is difficult to get together. It was a time to bring out the cookbooks and experiment with new and tasty dishes.

Then, one by one, the table got smaller. My father and in-laws died in 1991. My son moved to New Mexico and while we do sometimes share Thanksgiving dinner, it is no longer a tradition. My daughter hosted for a number of years and now, it is my grandson’s turn.

There have been years when we invited the neighbors, or it was just the two of us and we found a restaurant. We have celebrated Thanksgiving on a different day to satisfy family. I remember a Thanksgiving on a Disney cruise ship. Another year, a cousin said he would bring the turkey and it turned out to be a terrible smoked version; not at all what we expected. That weekend, I redid the dinner with a traditional roast turkey. One year, we served Thanksgiving to those less fortunate at a church in Bedford.

Regardless of the constant change, Thanksgiving is always a joyous time and does not get enough credit on our holiday calendars. I see people putting up Christmas lights and trees before the November holiday. Personally, my autumn decorations, which include Thanksgiving, will remain until the calendar makes another page turn.

Here is to all of you. You may have a huge family celebration or just a small group of friends; a restaurant gathering, a nursing home or a hospital. But, it will still be Thanksgiving and a time to give thanks for the many blessings we in America enjoy.