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Essay Samples on Thanksgiving
Reflecting on what i did over thanksgiving break.
Thanksgiving break arrived as a welcome respite, offering a chance to step away from the usual routine and immerse myself in a world of relaxation and meaningful connections. This period of time allowed me to indulge in activities that brought me joy, strengthen relationships with...
- Thanksgiving
The First Thanksgiving: A Historical Reflection on Unity and Gratitude
The story of the first Thanksgiving is a cornerstone of American history, marking a pivotal moment when two distinct cultures came together in a spirit of unity and gratitude. This seminal event, which took place in the early 17th century, remains a powerful symbol of...
Thanksgiving Reflection: Gratitude, Growth, and the Power of Connection
As another Thanksgiving comes around, I find myself immersed in a reflective state of mind, contemplating the significance of this cherished holiday. It's a time when the world seems to slow down, and the aroma of a festive feast fills the air. Yet, beneath the...
A Heartwarming Thanksgiving Narrative: Embracing Family and Traditions
Thanksgiving has always held a special place in my heart as a holiday that brings my family together in a tapestry of warmth, laughter, and cherished memories. Each year, as the days grow shorter and the air turns crisper, the anticipation of Thanksgiving begins to...
Thanksgiving: The Best Holiday for Gratitude, Unity, and Joy
Among the myriad holidays that punctuate the calendar, Thanksgiving stands out as a special and cherished occasion that brings people together in an unparalleled celebration of gratitude, unity, and joy. Rooted in traditions that emphasize family, feasting, and reflection, Thanksgiving holds a unique place in...
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How I Spent My Thanksgiving
My Thanksgiving this year was a heartwarming and memorable experience filled with cherished moments, delicious food, and quality time spent with loved ones. As the holiday approached, I eagerly anticipated the opportunity to reflect on my blessings, create lasting memories, and share gratitude with those...
- About Myself
300 Words About Thanksgiving: A Celebration of Gratitude and Togetherness
Thanksgiving is a cherished holiday celebrated in many countries around the world, but most notably in the United States and Canada. It holds a special place in the hearts of people as a time to come together with family and friends, reflect on the blessings...
Thanksgiving; What I Need To Be Thankful For
Hmm, 2018 just ended 4 days ago and I know a lot of people have something to say about last year. For many, the year didn't go well while others may feel otherwise especially in my country where the rich are getting by the day...
- Thankfulness
My Family Tradition: Thanksgiving Did Not Go As Planned
Tradition, the Latin word tradere, or in other words safekeeping. It can be an event where families sit down, travel, tell stories, wear masks, spiritual ceremony, a prayer to give thanks or simply having a big meal to their liking. It may also include: gifts,...
The Meaning Of Thanksgiving: What It Means To Me
“Be thankful for what you have. You’ll end up having more.”- Oprah Winfrey. Thanksgiving reminds me of all the things I am thankful for. Being thankful also helps me to get through life's critical times, because you can calmly call to mind of all the...
- Family Relationships
- Marriage and Family
Coping Methods To Get Through Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving can be a wonderful day filled with family togetherness and traditional foods. It can also be very stressful, due to the very same things: family togetherness and traditional foods. Several Thanksgiving dishes, such as pie or mashed potatoes, may be experienced as 'trigger' foods...
- Eating Disorders
- Psychotherapy
Discussing The Need To Celebrate Thanksgiving Day With The Family
Introduction Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated all over the United States, but what most people don’t know is that the history they get taught when they are in school is mostly fake or it lacks information. Luckily, in the present-day there is an increasing amount...
The Right Advice For Perfect Thanksgiving Break
A great host should be able to provide entertainment and good food to his guests but hosting any kind of party is challenging. Poor planning leads to a guaranteed failure, especially when the number of guests is overwhelming. But even as a host, you still...
- Spring Break
All That Thanksgiving Means To Me On Break
Beep, Beep. The food timer goes off in our kitchen. The turkey must be done cooking. Thanksgiving is finally here, I think. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and the reason I enjoy it so much is because it brings family and friends together....
Taking Care of Eating Disorders During Holidays
Thanksgiving, while typically viewed as a holiday where people are free to stuff their faces, can be a difficult experience for others. It is impossible to know the details of another person’s relationship with food, and the way we talk about food can have a...
An Overview of My Favorite Holidays Throughout the Yaer
Every year people cannot wait for certain things to come around whether it is school, sports or even a specific event. However, that is not the case for myself because I look forward to the holidays in the winter time. The decorations that are seen...
The Importance of Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day is an annual holiday in the United States and Canada but is also celebrated in other parts of the world. Thanksgiving is celebrated to honor the harvest and other blessings in the past year. It all started when a ship called the Mayflower...
A Controversial Holiday of Thanksgiving
America has always carried the desire to ignore its past and live in its view of its self as a melting pot. America wants us all to forgive and forget the past to be one people. How can we forgive the past if this country...
- American History
- Controversial Issue
Cooking a Successful Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving is one of the most anticipated and celebrated holidays in the United States. It is a time where family and friends come together as one and give thanks. However, Thanksgiving can be a complex occasion due to the planning, preparing, and cooking the holiday...
Steps to Planning a Successful Thanksgiving
Steps to Planning a Successful Thanksgiving When Thanksgiving comes around, you always want to prepare days before. Thanksgiving involves a lot of work meaning you’ll need plenty of time. Many people think of Thanksgiving as “The Last Supper” so you can imagine lots of people...
Analysis of The Malleable Psalm of Thanksgiving
Eliciting from the redemption of a deadly crisis, Psalm 116 is an individual thanksgiving psalm that brings forth the shouts of praise and gratitude towards God. Individual thanksgiving psalms were considered to be “public affairs” (Broyles, 1999, p.20) because with the elements of proclamation of...
Best topics on Thanksgiving
1. Reflecting on What I Did Over Thanksgiving Break
2. The First Thanksgiving: A Historical Reflection on Unity and Gratitude
3. Thanksgiving Reflection: Gratitude, Growth, and the Power of Connection
4. A Heartwarming Thanksgiving Narrative: Embracing Family and Traditions
5. Thanksgiving: The Best Holiday for Gratitude, Unity, and Joy
6. How I Spent My Thanksgiving
7. 300 Words About Thanksgiving: A Celebration of Gratitude and Togetherness
8. Thanksgiving; What I Need To Be Thankful For
9. My Family Tradition: Thanksgiving Did Not Go As Planned
10. The Meaning Of Thanksgiving: What It Means To Me
11. Coping Methods To Get Through Thanksgiving
12. Discussing The Need To Celebrate Thanksgiving Day With The Family
13. The Right Advice For Perfect Thanksgiving Break
14. All That Thanksgiving Means To Me On Break
15. Taking Care of Eating Disorders During Holidays
- Perseverance
- Career Goals
- Personality
- Personal Experience
- Bad Memories
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Thanksgiving History and Significance Essay
Introduction, significance of thanksgiving, works cited.
Thanksgiving is a day celebrated in the United States every year. The tradition of Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States can be traced back to the year 1863. Important to note is that Thanksgiving Day is a public holiday in the United States which is celebrated every year in November, (usually the fourth week of that month) and ” it is a big deal in America because Americans believe it to be the unique holiday, hardly found in this form anywhere else on earth” (Baker 1). This holiday is celebrated with a lot of merrymaking and communal
Thanksgiving as it is the day celebrated with an aim of showing gratitude for all the great things that life has given to a person, for example, family, friends, positive feelings and emotions. In an argument advanced by Bradford, “children should be enlightened on the importance of Thanksgiving so that it can be easy to preserve and pass the tradition to the present and future generation” (144). Even though Thanksgiving is often referred to as the harvest festival, it is something more than what it seems to suggest at first sight.
Thanksgiving Day was created by people, who were religious people that were running away from persecution in England; they were referred to as pilgrims. Initially, the pilgrims went to settle in the Netherlands, but later, they went to the North America for the purposes of setting up a colony.
Most of the pilgrims arrived in North America in the year 1620 at a time when the autumn season was welcoming the winter season. As Snow says, for them it was “a day of prayer and meditation, not necessry connected with a harvest or a feast. It was a special day of religious observance to acknowledge an act of God’s benevolence” (108). Unfortunately, a big number of the pilgrims died in the North America due to the cold weather they encountered.
The pilgrims began to engage in farming activities during the spring season. During their short stay in the North America, the native Indians assisted the pilgrims by means of guiding them on how to do farming, and also how to cook.
By the end of the summer season, the pilgrims had managed to get a bumper harvest and as such, they were able to store enough food to last out to the winter season . Following the good harvest, the pilgrims decided to organize a festival for the purposes of showing their gratitude to God for the good harvest they got.
Throughout the existence of mankind, the greatest happiness emanates from contentment of the individual. As such, it is always prudent for an individual to show his or her gratitude especially to those who in one way or another enabled this or that person to achieve what they were eager to achieve.
Needless to say, the foregoing principle forms the basis of Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States. During Thanksgiving, people celebrate and honor those who forfeited their own interests for the sake of others. The sacrifice made by the native Indian Americans is, therefore, celebrated and honored during the celebration of Thanksgiving. The United States sacrificed their land and gave up their culture for the greater interest of the nation.
Appreciating people is a simple and yet very powerful way of encouraging people for them to continue making more sacrifices and doing what is best for the sake of others. What is more, appreciating others through Thanksgiving presupposes a clear and loud message that the sacrifice made is recognized by the person it was meant for, and that it was satisfactory. “After all, the phrase thank you is cited as a virtual that is above all other virtues in the universe” (Weaver & Gollust 37).
Unlike in the traditional connotation of Thanksgiving, when people were grateful to God for a good harvest, the festival today, which is now celebrated across different countries all over the world, has a bit different meaning; on this day some families, priests, etc. visit the less fortunate and share with them what they have in plenty.
This gesture assures the less fortunate that there are people of good will who do care about them. Some of the significant features of Thanksgiving include family bonding, sharing and cooking meals, festive traditions as well as family values; it is also the dat symbolyzing the meaning of life, and above all a thanksgiving day.
As has been mentioned above, one of the most important aims of Thanksgiving festival is to create bonding between the members of one family. During the celebrations family members come together and strengthen their relationship as a family. Children are taught the values and traditions of the family as well as they are taught to respect the elders in the family and in the society, in general.
In other words, the concept of unity is emphasized during Thanksgiving. Family members, who do not stay around, travel long distances to reunite with other members of their families in order to enjoy the reunion of the family by means of sharing delicious food, praying together, singing and having other fun activities.
Thanksgiving is also the time when family’s friends and relatives share recipi and cook meals for each other at home, which is unlike during other celebrations when usually the packed food is served. Some of the traditional dishes prepared during Thanksgiving celebrations include sweet potatoes, corns, pie made out of pumpkin, cranberries, carved turkeys, to mention but a few. Generally, Thanksgiving is regarded as a period that spices up the holiday mood before Christmas.
It goes without saying that during Thanksgiving, food stores register the highest sales in comparison with any other period of the year. This holiday also caracterizes American culture. As Wallendorf and Arnould provide, ” Thanksgiving Day is a collective ritual that celebrates material abundance enacted through feasting” (13). This may be attributed to the fact that most people buy food stuff with an aim of giving it to others, namely, whom they care about, to those people they appreciate, or in case they simply want to help the needy.
In addition, Thanksgiving gives an opportunity for people to do charity and participate in religious ceremonies. Families, friends, and colleagues come together to sing songs and make prayers of Thanksgiving to God. “Prayer of Thanksgiving” is one of the songs that are commonly sung during Thanksgiving celebrations” (Bradford 145).
Some Americans make contributions during Thanksgiving which they give to the less fortunate individuals in the society. The poor, homeless, and the less fortunate members of the society are provided with clothes and food by some churches.
In an argument by Weaver & Gollust, “Thanksgiving is also an opportunity to show appreciation which is often done by give the family members and friends some presents” (43). This day is celebrated by most people in the United States in order to show their respect and appreciation to their colleagues at work, friends, elders, as wells as siblings.
“Some of the common presents given out during the Thanksgiving Day include: Jewellery, Thanksgiving flowers, wine, and cookies to mention but a few. It has been contended that the celebrations of Thanksgiving Day in the United States mark the commencement of the Christmas period” (Weaver & Gollust 42).
“In our day to day lives there are many problems and challenges that we encounter and such challenges and problems destructs the lives of people to the extent that there seems to be nothing worthwhile or good in life. Some of these issues may include unemployment, health problems, and many others” (Karter 36).
Thanksgiving is one of the events that reminds such individuals that there is hope, that there is a brighter side of life, such as loved ones, friends, along with other great things that life has to offer. Indeed, there are very few opportunities where an individual gets a chance to have quality time with his or her family. This opportunity is offered by Thanksgiving at least once a year.
Since 1863 the United States has been celebrating Thanksgiving every year. As a national holiday, Thanksgiving emanated from a declaration by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that November 4 th of that year would be a thanksgiving day for the whole nation. The celebrations of this day or the inception of Thanksgiving Day by president Abraham Lincoln was intended to celebrate unity in the United States, as the country was undergoing civil war at the time.
Today, however, Thanksgiving is a festival where people celebrate and honor those who forfeited their own interests for the sake of others. The significance of thanksgiving days includes the moment when family members come together and strengthen their relationship as a family; it is also an opportunity for individuals to help and share what they have with the less fortunate in the society, and above all, it is an opportunity to show gratitude to those who sacrificed their interests for the benefit of others.
Baker, James W. Thanksgiving: The Biography of an American Holiday. Lebanon: University of Hampshire Press, 2009. Print.
Bradford, Edward. History of Plymouth Plantation . Harvard: Little, Brown and Company. 1856. Print.
Karter, Diana. Thanksgiving: An American holiday, an American history . Indiana: Indiana University press, 2004. Print.
Snow, Stephen Eddy. Performing the Pilgrims: A Study of Ethnohistorical Role-Playing at Plimoth Plantation. Mississippi: Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2008. Print.
Wallendorf, Melanie and, Eric J. Arnould. “We Gather Together”: Consumption Rituals of Thanksgiving Day”. Journal of Consumer Research . 18.1 (1991): 13-24. Print.
Weaver, Carolyn & Shelly, Gollust. “History & Lore.” The History of Thanksgiving 12.2 (2012): 23-45. Print.
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IvyPanda. (2018, December 11). Thanksgiving History and Significance. https://ivypanda.com/essays/thanksgiving-2/
"Thanksgiving History and Significance." IvyPanda , 11 Dec. 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/thanksgiving-2/.
IvyPanda . (2018) 'Thanksgiving History and Significance'. 11 December.
IvyPanda . 2018. "Thanksgiving History and Significance." December 11, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/thanksgiving-2/.
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Essay on Thanksgiving
Students are often asked to write an essay on Thanksgiving in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.
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100 Words Essay on Thanksgiving
Introduction to thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is a special holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. It is a day when people gather with family and friends to express gratitude for their blessings.
History of Thanksgiving
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621 after their first successful harvest in the New World. They invited Native Americans to join them in a feast of thanksgiving.
Modern Thanksgiving
Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated with a festive meal that often includes turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. It’s a day to reflect on our blessings and spend time with loved ones.
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250 Words Essay on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving: a celebration of gratitude.
Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, is a holiday steeped in rich historical and cultural traditions. The essence of this festivity is to express gratitude for the year’s harvest and blessings.
The Historical Roots
The origins of Thanksgiving trace back to 1621 when Pilgrims and Native Americans shared a harvest feast in Plymouth. This event, often viewed as the “First Thanksgiving,” was a three-day celebration of collaboration and mutual respect, setting the tone for the holiday’s future iterations.
The Evolution of Thanksgiving
Over the centuries, Thanksgiving has evolved significantly. President Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday in 1863, during the Civil War, as a means to unite the nation. Today, it serves as a day for family and friends to gather, share a meal, and express gratitude.
Thanksgiving: A Cultural Phenomenon
Thanksgiving is not just a family gathering but also a cultural phenomenon, marked by iconic traditions such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and football games. It also signifies the start of the holiday season, leading up to Christmas and New Year.
Thanksgiving: A Time for Reflection
In the modern context, Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and acknowledgment of the year’s blessings. It encourages us to express gratitude not only for material abundance but also for relationships, health, and personal growth.
To conclude, Thanksgiving is a celebration of gratitude, rooted in history, and evolved into a cultural phenomenon. It is a testament to the enduring power of gratitude and the importance of community in our lives.
500 Words Essay on Thanksgiving
The historical roots of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, is a national holiday steeped in early American history. It is generally attributed to the 1621 feast shared by the Pilgrims of Plymouth and the Wampanoag tribe, a celebration of successful harvest and survival in the New World. However, Thanksgiving was not officially recognized as a national holiday until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln, amidst the Civil War, proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
Cultural Significance and Traditions
Thanksgiving is a unique blend of secular and sacred elements. It is a time for family gatherings, feasting, parades, and football, but also a time for reflection and gratitude. The traditional Thanksgiving meal typically includes turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, echoing the autumnal harvest feast of the first Thanksgiving. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the NFL Thanksgiving games are modern additions, contributing to the holiday’s festive spirit.
Thanksgiving: A Symbol of Unity?
Thanksgiving is often hailed as a symbol of unity and inclusivity, a time when families and friends of diverse backgrounds come together to share a meal and express gratitude. However, this narrative is not without controversy. Critics argue that the holiday’s origins are rooted in the colonization and subsequent displacement of Native Americans, and therefore, it serves as a reminder of a painful history. As a result, some people observe a National Day of Mourning instead, to acknowledge the suffering of Native Americans.
Thanksgiving in the 21st Century
In the 21st century, Thanksgiving has evolved to reflect contemporary societal values. Many people now use this holiday as an opportunity to give back to their communities, volunteering their time or resources to help those less fortunate. Furthermore, in a world increasingly dominated by consumerism, the concept of gratitude that underpins Thanksgiving has taken on a new significance. It serves as a reminder to appreciate what we have and to resist the lure of constant consumption.
Thanksgiving is a complex holiday with roots in historical events, cultural traditions, and national values. It is a day of celebration, reflection, and, at its core, gratitude. However, it also carries with it a history of loss and suffering for the indigenous people of America. As we move forward, it is crucial to recognize and respect these different perspectives, using the holiday as an opportunity to learn from our past, celebrate our present, and build towards a more inclusive future.
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Thanksgiving Essay Example
Type of paper: Essay
Topic: Thanksgiving , Life , Friendship , Friends , Time , Opportunity , Black Friday , Nation
Words: 1300
Published: 02/01/2020
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Introduction
Traditionally, Thanksgiving is an occasion, mainly celebrated in the US and Canada, to offer special thanks to the almighty in appreciation of the abundance of food and happiness blessing our lives. In celebration of Thanksgiving, people get together with their friends and family over gourmet food and feasting meal comprised of delicacies including roasted turkey, potatoes, stuffing, dainty vegetables and pumpkin pies. A national holiday Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November in the US. Thanksgiving is a popular time of the year when people meet their families, travel extensively and indulge in a binge of shopping. Since there are many discounts offered on almost on all the goods sold in shops, it is a favorite season for shopping. Being a national holiday, most of the government offices, schools, colleges, universities, business houses remain closed on Thanksgiving. The entire country wears a festive look and revels in the madness of the celebration on this day. Going forward in this article, I would like to delve deeper into the subject of Thanksgiving by throwing light on its historical background, the purpose of its celebration, misinterpretation of Thanksgiving by the current generation and Thanksgiving viewed from the eyes of a foreigner spending his first Thanksgiving in the states.
History of Thanksgiving
The history of Thanksgiving dates back to the fall of 1621 when pilgrims and native Americans celebrated the joy of their successful harvest in Plymouth, Massachusetts amidst a three day long feast of fresh produce and merrymaking. But the mere celebration of good harvest did not translate into an annual celebration or national holiday overnight. What set the base for celebration in 1621 later on morphed into a sporadic tradition of offering thanks for specific blessings of life including the end of a drought, good harvest or a win in a particular battle. It was only in 1777 in the month of October that 13 colonies came together in celebration of Thanksgiving in unison. Thanksgiving got a national recognition in 1789 with President George Washington announcing Thursday, November 26 to be a day of prayer and thanksgiving in acknowledgement of the opportunity to offer thanks for the formation of a new nation and a viable constitution. Still, Thanksgiving didn't become an annual celebration. It was due to the efforts taken by a lady called Sarah Josepha Hale that the concept of modern day celebration of annual Thanksgiving came into picture. At a time when the civil war was bearing down on the integrity of United States, on her suggestion the then president Abraham Lincoln took the opportunity of bringing the nation together by declaring the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving, thereby awarding it a status of a national and annual holiday. The successive presidents of Lincoln honoring the tradition set by him proclaimed the last Thursday of November to be a day of Thanksgiving. Only aberration occurred in 1939 during the tenure of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who taking the complaint of retailers into consideration pre-poned the day of Thanksgiving a week earlier, giving rise to a lot of controversy.
Purpose of Thanksgiving
In our busy day to day life, we often forget to be thankful for the simple things that we enjoy but take for granted, such as food, clothing, health, shelter, job, family and friends. Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to be grateful for what we have and offer our support to people who are going through some rough phases of their lives by inviting them to be a part of a Thanksgiving dinner and lighten them up. The purpose of Thanksgiving not only lies in being thankful for what we have but in giving back the joys we have to people around us who are in suffering. It is a time when getting together with friends and family, we refresh our memories by looking back to some beautiful moments of our life and recreate new memories. It is that time of the year when people forget their differences in opinion and conflict partaking in the celebration of unity and of being thankful.
Misinterpretation of Thanksgiving by the Current Generation
Black Friday is the day that comes right after Thanksgiving, kickstarting a shopping season for Christmas. Now due to the retailers all around the United States giving a whopping discounts on Black Friday, Thanksgiving is losing its purpose as there are many people who try to get over with their Thanksgiving dinner as quickly as possible to line in a queue for hours, shove their way into the retail stores to avail the special discounts offered on Black Friday. In order to manage the rush of frenzied shoppers, many stores open in the wee hours of Thanksgiving and therefore, people who wait the entire year to make use of this moment of opportunity of purchasing goods in an unusually lower price choose shopping on Black Friday over their Thanksgiving dinner. The melee over availing the Black Friday deals is very unnerving. There have been instances of an employee in Wal-Mart having been crushed under the feet of frantic consumers trying to get hold of the items on sale. Such incidents are becoming largely common these days. Therefore, it is time when we should reflect back and think if in the rush of getting good deals, are we not corroding the age-old essence of Thanksgiving along with our morals? Thanksgiving is a day meant to be spent with family and friends in appreciation for the simple things of our life and not in chasing good deals.
Thanksgiving in the Eyes of a Foreigner
I am foreign to US, having come a long way from an Asian country. Last year was the first time I had the opportunity of spending Thanksgiving in the US. I was invited to a dinner thrown by a friend. I was thoroughly impressed by the Thanksgiving tradition of offering thanks for the little pleasures of life we bask in. The food, feasting and the conversation contributed to making my first Thanksgiving dinner a memorable one. I felt truly blessed of being a part of this wonderful custom that Thanksgiving offers.
Thanksgiving is a meaningful occasion, coming on the fourth Thursday of November that gives us an opportunity to spend time with family and friends in reflection of the good things we have in our life. The tradition of Thanksgiving dating back to as early as 1621 did not change into a national holiday and an annual celebration overnight, taking few hundred years for the official Thanksgiving date to be announced. The purpose of Thanksgiving in being thankful and spreading the joys around is, however, losing its substance in the face of a huge craze over Black Friday shopping with stores beginning to open in the wee hours of Thanksgiving night. The current generation of people indulge themselves more in pursuing the deals offered on Black Friday than spending a night of festivity among friends. Personally my tryst with Thanksgiving has been a wonderful one. Having been invited over dinner to a friend's house, I have got the opportunity to indulge in the tradition of feasting and offering thanks for every simple pleasure of life. The very essence and purpose of the entire celebration is so meaningful that one is bound to bask in its glory, whether Christian or not.
- How FDR Changed Thanksgiving, Jennifer Rosenberg, http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/a/thanksgiving.html(15th April 2013) - The purpose of Thanksgiving, Kat Ballew, November 2010, http://www.helium.com/items/2012265-what-is-thanksgiving-the-purpose-of-thanksgiving-the-real-meaning-of-thanksgiving (15th April 2013) - Is Black Friday edging out Thanksgiving?, Bob Greene, November 19, 2012, http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/18/opinion/greene-black-friday (15th April 2013)
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