Thursday, November 28, 2013

a few words and plenty of pictures on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a very old holiday, people has set aside time for thanksgiving  I would guess as long as there have been people. 
Over 150 years after  "the First Thanksgiving" took place in the Plymouth colony George Washington, declared the last Thursday of November to be a national day of thanksgiving.   Sara Josepha Hale, editor of the popular women's magazine of  "Godey's Ladies Book" lead a campaign to make Thanksgiving an official holiday. Lincoln did so, feeling that it would help to close the rift between the North and South, even though  the south wasn't as sure about the idea of making  Thanksgiving and official holiday.  It wasn't until  1941 when FDR made  thanksgiving a legal holiday.  There was some experimentation with whether it should be on the 3rd or 4th Thursday of
November.   Would seem that even then  "Black Friday"  was an important shopping day.    Admittedly this is a very brief explanation of the holiday.
Beyond the things that have become a part of Thanksgiving, like football and parades,  both of which became a part of the celebration before 1900,there is the gathering together of family and friends, to enjoy a feast and enjoy each others company.  to gather together, and celebrate  just being together.   Being with the people you always see or seldom see, sometimes the people you are glad you will not see again until next year.    The Images and sentiments  expressed in old postcards  show us that this holiday has really not changed that much.   Though the Thanksgiving postcard from ones aunt advising  as to what time her train will arrive so she can "gobble, gobble, gobble" is a thing of the past the children's table remains.   One dreamed of getting to eat at the ground-ups table only to learn that the kids table was much more fun.
"Over the river and through the woods" may not be  location of Grandmothers house anymore, the connection with the changing seasons and places we hold dear is still there


We should not leave out that perfectly roasted turkey, with all of the side dishes, yummy sweet deserts, and the outright joy of indulging in  eating our fill,  and then some.  It has not been so very long since people put on a few extra pounds to see them through the winter.  














Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

~~~~ most postcards  coutesey of

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