Wagaliciousness Begins Here!

Day after tomorrow is Thanksgiving, traditionally the eating-est holiday in America. Attendance at family gatherings is expected, and woe be unto the newly married couple with parents, step-parents, grandparents and step-grandparents who all expect them to show up hungry to multiple, separate, family feasts. 

Thanksgiving is an emotional stick of dynamite. Wait – maybe “roller coaster” is the better analogy, because at least there are high spots to go with the predictable blow-ups. What could go wrong when people who are related to each other and who maybe don’t see each other all that often gather to share a meal?  

The host and family have been cleaning and cooking for days and are exhausted 

The guests arrive, most bringing what they were asked to bring and a few bringing what they wanted to bring, whether or not it was needed or wanted 

This cousin gets on the nerves of that cousin and loud spats ensue 

This uncle and that grandma have opposite opinions on (nearly everything –...

In the United States, Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. In the early 1600’s, when the first Thanksgiving celebration featuring Englishmen in the New World happened, “giving thanks” was how people expressed their gratitude for surviving a tough year, or for bringing in a bountiful harvest.

The tradition of “giving thanks” was, and still is, a big part of the Wampanoag tribe, who were part of the early celebrations, though not quite as the story is told now. In the middle 1800’s, when the Civil War had ended and President Lincoln was looking for a way to bring the nation back together, Thanksgiving was cemented as a national celebration designed to reflect, gather, and share a communal, traditional meal. The “traditional” meal itself was made up at the time, as was the pastoral story of the early dinners with Pilgrims and tribesmen.

It was called Thanksgiving. Would we still celebrate it if it had been called Gratitude Day or Appreciation Celebration? And do those words even mean the same ...