Free Stress; It’s Officially Holiday Time!

It’s the day after Halloween, and our town has already strung holiday lights across the major roadways. Instead of pretty shaped holly buds, I think they should hang neon signs saying, Free Stress; It’s Officially Holiday Time!

Call me old-fashioned, but I’d like to concentrate on Thanksgiving now. It is a memorable holiday for this country, and the earlier we push up Christmas, the less important Thanksgiving feels. Do you agree? What can we do?

It is Not Officially Holiday Time!

Why do we have to rush everything? Can’t we celebrate one holiday at a time? Last year, I remember being in Bed Bath and Beyond looking for Fall placemats, and Christmas music was playing. It annoyed me. Just for the record, I don’t care how well they keep; I am not baking Christmas cookies until after Thanksgiving.

I like to do some inner reflection during the fall. What am I grateful for these days? Who are the important people in my life? Have I made sure they know this? As a cancer survivor and now a heart patient, I know what a gift each day is. I’m not interested in rushing through my days. Tomorrow is not a guarantee. The past five years have taught me how to live in the moment. It has made me so much happier. I wish we could all slow down a little. We do not have to put on the brakes fully, but we should pump them a bit.

What do you say we start a grassroots effort to highlight Thanksgiving this year? Firstly, let’s remember why the holiday was created. According to the History website, “In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of Thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states.”

The Origins of Thanksgiving

Full details on the original feast, including what was on the menu, can be found here: https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving. Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, during the height of the Civil War. He issued a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” Lincoln scheduled the holiday for the last Thursday in November.

Thus, the Thanksgiving celebrations commenced. People gathered with friends and family to remember loved ones and thank God for their blessings. And to eat pumpkin pie. Which, interestingly, was not on the menu in 1621. Just sayin’.

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? Do you have any family traditions? We switch between my husband’s family and my family each year. No matter where we go, my husband makes creamed onions. He individually peels and scores three to five bags of pearl onions. We have been married for over thirty years, and I still have no clue how he has the patience to do this. I make the white sauce, and he combines it with the onions and heats them. They are tasty little boogers, but they are ALOT of work!

Speaking of Turkey Day food, I wrote a blog during the pandemic that details the famous Cheesy Roll-ups my Mom always made as an appetizer. If you are looking for a new starter, you can find it here: https://www.outwittinglife.com/outwitting-thanksgiving-in-a-pandemic/. They will be a big hit if you make them!

Fun Thanksgiving Day Facts

• The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade was in 1924 and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. It was two blocks long.
• In 1953, food corporation Swanson created the first TV Dinner due to overestimating the amount of Turkeys people would buy. They needed to get creative to use up the meat.
• Benjamin Franklin was a turkey fan. He wished the turkey was our official bird instead of the bald eagle. He said the turkey “was a much more respectable bird.”
• The first-ever Thanksgiving Day football match was played in 1876. It was Yale vs. Princeton.
• Plumbers’ busiest day of the year is the day after Thanksgiving–clogged sinks and toilets!

Please go here https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/a12779428/why-we-celebrate-thanksgiving-facts/ for more facts and in-depth descriptions of the above-listed facts.

Isn’t Thanksgiving interesting? Surely, we cannot let this holiday become slighted. Keep your fall decorations up until Thanksgiving! Hold off playing those Christmas carols if you can. Let’s all slow down and put the focus on Turkey day. Who’s with me?