A few questions about Thanksgiving Day...

Hey, we don’t hassle you about Boxing Day. Be thankful for that;)

I will answer one of your questions, and leave the rest to others. btw I have never heard the expression “Slap up meal” before.

Thanksgiving is held the 4th Thursday of every November, so the date can vary from the 22nd to the 28th.

1. We give thanks for being able to thank anyone for anything we want to thank them for. Personally, I’m thankful first and foremost to my parents, who gave me life and the tools to live it with the degree of health, happiness and success I have thus far.

It’s a celebration of how the original settlers raped and pillaged and spread disease among the native Americans, who kept them from starving the first winter and showed them how to catch and prepare wild turkeys, plant corn and squash, and not freeze to death. Not too much emphasis then on shopping, however.

It’s not usually on the same date but it is always the 4th Thursday of November.

1. The beauty of American Thanksgiving is that you can give thanks to the dirty of your choice or to the people who have helped sustain you throughout the year. It is really an all American holiday.
2.it is held on the third Thursday of November in celebration of harvest time.
3.this year we will be spending the holiday at my mother in law’s retirement home. It a nice place and they should have a pretty elegant meal.
4.when I’m cooking we usually have roast turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, some sort of jello salad, green salad, cranberry sauce, potato salad, and lots of desserts.
5. I don’t understand question number 5. My daughter lives in Scotland and they had their Thanksgiving feast last Saturday. I’m sure they would be happy to have you join them next year @ucme if you want to experience a traditional American Thanksgiving.

1. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians 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. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

2. See filmfann’s reply above

3. We will sit at a table with my almost-totally deaf mother-in-law, and it will sound like this:

“Do you want more gravy ?”
“Huh ?”
“DO YOU WANT MORE GRAVY ??”
“What ?”
“DOOOO YOOOOOOU WAAAAAANT MOOOOORE GRAAAAAVYYYYY ???”

4. The meal will consist of my barely tolerating the ‘want more gravy’ shouting while trying to hear the football game activity on TV in the next room (and I mean REAL football…..not those 1 – 0 snooze-fests which you people for some reason occasionally kill each other over).

5. Yes.

@Judi That sounds more than agreeable, introduce us first though why don’t you :)

You’ve got 2 and 4 and 5 down. Here’s an annual essay from the San Francisco Chronicle that speaks to the heart of Thanksgiving and our cultural need for giving thanks.

For me, I’ll pack the kids in the car and head up to Davis California to have dinner at my sister’s with her two daughters, We’ll first stop by the skilled nursing facility to say hello to my 90 yr old mom, who is recovering from a severe infection. Joining us will be my brother and a nephew.

We have a strong rule in our family, one you could use to divide the american people into two clear groups – no football during dinner.

@OneBadApple seems to be confused, what you call football, we know as rugby for pussies
@zenvelo Cheers for that, good stuff…or should that be stuffing?

Supposedly started with the Pilgrims who ESCAPED from England, and it just continues on to this day. I think it’s a good thing, for the most part.
Turkey, sometimes ham, is the preferred meat on this day.
My spread would be turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, home made bread gravey and whatever other people bring.
It’s always a good time with family and whomever my family decides to drag along.

The “No Football Rule” makes perfect sense if there are fully-functioning guests at your table. You might reconsider if the dinner conversation goes something like this….

“Amy, what are you thankful for this year ?”

(Amy exits her mope-face and displays her ‘annoyed’ face. Then back to mope-face.)

“Tim…??”

(Tim burps loudly and looks like he might say something….but just blows his nose, using one of the ‘good napkins’)
.

From the next room:

“WOW….it’s fourth-and-goal from the one, with our score tied and one minute left in regulation. Romo sets…..he’s checking-off, it looks like…..”

.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone….

For what it’s worth, my Blackfoot friends refer to the day as “The Great Mistake”.

@Judi did you mean to type ”dirty of your choice” or was that meant to be ”deity”?

1. Most Americans give thanks to “God”, whatever that may mean, given one’s perception or faith. Several years ago, I was involved in a group of self-described “secular humanists” disguised as Unitarian-Universalists. Many of them expressed it as “I am thankful” for this or that, or they expressed thanks to individuals or family.

I can’t believe auto correct said dirty instead of deity.

The thanksgiving story that was taught to us in school is (like so many other aspects of our history books) a total fabrication and outright lie.

The first Thanksgiving Day did occur in the year 1637, but it was nothing like our Thanksgiving today. On that day the Massachusetts Colony Governor, John Winthrop, proclaimed such a ‘Thanksgiving’ to celebrate the safe return of a band of heavily armed hunters, all colonial volunteers. They had just returned from their journey to what is now Mystic, Connecticut where they massacred 700 Pequot Indians. Seven hundred Indians – men, women and children – all murdered.

@Judi Seems legit. ^_^

Best Thanksgiving story out of my house: We were all around the table, digging in, when I decided to tell a story on my son. We have a plethora of stories we tell all the time so I assumed everyone had heard this one. The reaction, the spitting of food everywhere, the choking, everyone performing CPR on everyone else, was my first clue that they hadn’t heard it before!

When my son was about 3 he came across one of those loooong balloons lying about in the house. We must have had party or something. He held it up to the front of his pelvis, and in an astonished voice he said, “Thith ith beigger than my penith!!” As though he couldn’t believe anything could be bigger than his penith! Shit, the balloon was taller than he was! And I got the shot! :)

@syz If you’ve never seen it, some very amusing time well-spent is Robert Wuhl’s “Assume The Position” (originally on HBO and now available on DVD).

“These are the stories that made up America…..or that America made up….”

@OneBadApple This is an interesting read, too. (Actually, it’s been a while, but I seem to remember that it’s interesting in theory, but rather dryly written and annoyingly repetitive.)

@syz Thanks very much. I just printed that page to remind myself later about finding this as a Nook D/L

1: Who/What is the giving of thanks aimed at?
I think the thanks was originally aimed at god, and I think that it remained that way for a good, long time. Nowadays, if you’re not religious, you don’t really think about who the thanks is aimed at. My experience is that non-religious people get uncomfortable at trying to explain who or what they thank, and I think the truth is that there is no non-religious way to express this. Feeling “fortunate” implies some sort of magic, and feeling “lucky” seems a silly thing to be thankful for , given that luck is random. We can be thankful to people for what they’ve given or done, but that really doesn’t cover the “spirit of Thanksgiving”, in my opinion. It is a curious thing: a religious holiday that is not really viewed as a religious holiday.

Some Americans will say that the “thanks” are due to native Americans – however, that tradition doesn’t exist in Canada, and I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s a story made up after the fact to explain the holiday.

2: Is it held on the same date every year & why that date?
I’m sure others have answered about American Thanksgiving. Canadian Thanksgiving is held on the second Monday of October. Wikipedia tells me that we’ve been celebrating some form of thanksgiving feast for three or four hundred years, but on different dates, with it finally being settled in 1879. The fact that I needed to look it up reminds me that retelling the history of the tradition has never been an important part of the tradition itself.

3: How do you plan on spending the day this year, family gathering for a slap up meal?
We didn’t this year. When I was a child, we had a huge gathering, but everyone is so spread out across the country now, that it becomes difficult.

4: What will the meal consist of?
Our family meal used to require: turkey, ham with pineapple, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes (not sweetened), turnips, carrots, gravy, stuffing, and a can of cranberry sauce plopped into a bowl (such that it was still in the shape of the can – this was essential). There was never enough stuffing for the bowl to make it around the table.

5: Should I have even capitalised the thing anyway?
Probably.

@Dutchess_III & yes, you too @glacial, fine answers, thanks.

This video has a few answers.

Ha, I was thinking about Chuck Brown when I asked this @dxs, not much of a ko-inky-dink, but there you go.

Wait, stop…so it’s this coming Thursday y’all gonna tuck into turkey?
Enjoy & remember kids, help ya momma with the washing up, or at least offer.

Yes, it seems like cranberry sauce has to make an appearance every year, although NO ONE eats it!
It’s all about kids and cousins getting together and playing in the leaves outside while the adults cook and stuff.

However, this year, for the first time, all the kids have to work or have other plans. I think Rick and I are going to head to Wichita for some us time. Stay at a hotel and all. :)

1: We’re very thankful for the hospitality of the Native Americans before we killed them all.

2: Last Thursday of November.

3: We’re going to my mother-in-law’s. I’m in pie duty this year.

4: Deep fried turkey, macaroni pie (baked Mac and Cheese), sweet potato soufflé, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, rolls, pumpkin pie, cheesecake, pecan pie, chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies.

5: ‘Tis a holiday, so yes.

@livelaughlove21 I’m drooling over all of that except the pumpkin pie, me no likey.

Whether you like pumpkin pie or not, it HAS to be present at Thanksgiving dinner!

@ucme I’ll usually eat half of a piece and be done with it. There will only be one pumpkin pie, but there will be 3 cheesecakes and 2 pecan pies, so it seems you’re not the only one that doesn’t like it.

@Dutchess_III I agree.

Really? Would the pumpkins be upset if they went unrepresented at the thanksgiving dinner table?
Would there be riots in the pumpkin patch?
Would the pumpkins claim discrimination & yell stuff like, “oh yeah, so we’re only good enough for Halloween huh!?!”
Or did I just make that shit up for comedic effect?

Yeah, you just made it up cume.

It’s important to remember the historical basis for Thanksgiving was that it was a harvest feast. Those are common through out many cultures and nations.

Who the fuck is cume :D

Sorry! I meant mecu!! Sry

Speaking French won’t get you anywhere m’dear.

Oui!

Bon Appetit

1: Who/What is the giving of thanks aimed at? Christians give thanks to God for all our blessings, food, family, etc… In our family, with a mixture of religions, we go around the table and say out loud what we’re thankful for.

2: Is it held on the same date every year & why that date? Yes, last Thursday of November.

3: How do you plan on spending the day this year, family gathering for a slap up meal?
I’ve cooked the last two weekend preparing the pies and cakes in advance, but will go to mom’s Thursday for the family visiting and eats.

4: What will the meal consist of? Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin roll, various pies, green bean casserole, etc..

5: Should I have even capitalised the thing anyway? Yes.

For those uneducated in the ways of the “slap up” meal, it’s not a food fight, it’s a large multi course feast…hoorah!

Oui, je vais trucs sur mon visage.

Google translate strikes again!

Eh bien, l’enfer oui! Je ne parle pas français!

@Dutchess_III Évidemment!

Our family, with only one exception, hopes that the turkey will be joining us at table (rather than on it) for a vegetarian lasagna, rice and beans and various sides and afters. He now has his own monogrammed napkin ring.

It is entirely possible to be thankful for something with being thankful to someone. It’s just another word for being glad I’m here, now.

To clarify: You’ve gotten conflicting answers about the date; some have said the US Thanksgiving Holiday is the 3rd Thursday, some said the 4th Thursday, and some have said the last Thursday of November.
The correct answer is the 4th Thursday. Just a year ago, November 2012 had 5 Thursdays and Thanksgiving was celebrated on the 22nd. The last Thursday of November 2012 was the 29th.

@KNOWITALL What’s a pumpkin roll? I am intrigued!

@glacial – I love pumpkin roll (link is for photo – I haven’t reviewed the recipe)! It’s pumpkin cake baked on a cookie sheet so it’s thin, then iced with a cream cheese frosting and rolled up and sliced into cross-sections. I modified a recipe years ago to make a low-fat version but the recipe was lost in the divorce. I really should try baking again.

@hearkat Oh, that looks tasty! If one of you has a recipe to share, I would happily accept it. :)

@hearkat Call me crazy, but the pumpkin roll they sell at Wal-Mart is just as good as any of the homemade versions I’ve tried.

I’m sure it’s tasty, but what crap is in it? I had modified the recipe to use healthier ingredients and less fat and sugar, so it wasn’t so unhealthy.
As I said, all the cooking stuff wen with my ex in the divorce, and he died 15+ years ago.

@hearkat I’m sure it is super fattening, but I don’t worry about such things on Thanksgiving.

Read the letter below the video before you watch the video
If you want to know exactly how Thanksgiving is supposed to be done, this woman is the self appointed expert.

^^^^ What a bitch! (Not you @Judi, that woman.)

It’s hilarious. Even funnier because she seems to have no idea how rediculious she is!

How RUDE she is!