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Surprising Facts You Never Knew About Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is generally a celebration of family, friends, and food; a time to be thankful for the blessings in our lives. The real history of Thanksgiving is a bit more complicated than mashed potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pies. If you’ve ever wondered why we celebrate Thanksgiving, or where some of our Thanksgiving traditions come from, you’re about to find out.
A woman named Sarah Josepha Hale lobbied Congress for years to make Thanksgiving an official holiday. If it wasn’t for this very determined woman, Thanksgiving wouldn’t exist today. She lobbied Congress for many years to make this holiday official. She wanted to make this a permanent American custom based on national pride. It wasn’t until 1863 that President Lincoln finally declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. Thanksgiving is considered by many people to be an attempt to bring some peace back to the country after the Civil War. Lincoln made the holiday on the last Thursday in November.
Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to change it to one week earlier. Franklin thought the turkey should be the United States’ official bird rather than the bald eagle. By 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill making the fourth Thursday in November the official date for Thanksgiving nationwide to help alleviate the effects of the Great Depression.
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was in 1924 and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo – live bears, elephants, camels and monkeys, unlike the huge balloons we have today. They did have floats, celebrities, bands, and Macy’s employees in costumes, as well as Santa Claus. About 3.5 million people attend the parade, and nearly 50 million watch it on their televisions at home.
Did you know that TV dinners came about because of Thanksgiving? In 1953, the Swanson Food Corporation got creative with leftover turkey as a result of overestimating how much turkey would be eaten on Thanksgiving Day. They used aluminum trays and created a complete Thanksgiving meal which sold for around ninety-eight cents. They sold ten million TV dinners and started the prepackaged frozen meal industry.
People have been cooking pumpkin pies since the 1600’s. The dessert has been an important part of Thanksgiving meals since the 1700s. One Connecticut town even postponed the holiday in 1705 due to a molasses shortage that prevented people from making pies.
The “pardoning” of the turkey has been an annual White House tradition. President John F. Kennedy was the first to pardon a turkey and President George H. W. Bush was the first to make pardoning a turkey an annual event in 1989, after he noticed the 50-pound bird at his official Thanksgiving proclamation looked nervous. Every president has upheld the tradition ever since.
In the 1870’s Thanksgiving Day football games began, although they were not on television yet. In 1876, Yale played Princeton in the very first Thanksgiving Day game. In 1920 when the National Football League was founded it began hosting games every year.
Here is an interesting fact: The day after Thanksgiving is amazingly busy for plumbers, according to a very well-known plumbing company. So, we need to be extra careful with turkey grease, potato peels, rice, and stuffing as they can clog your kitchen drain or garbage disposal.
The British have an unusual take on Thanksgiving Day, as they call it Britts-giving. Whatever they want to call it, it still represents the spirit of thankfulness and giving.
How many places in the United States have the name “Turkey?” Texas, Louisiana and North Carolina.
How many turkeys are prepared for Thanksgiving each year in the United States? 46 million
Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day everyone!
Solitaire
A Blessing that is Often Overlooked – Books
Envisioning a better future, reliving a glorious past, encouraging us to dream big, or bring happiness – these are all reasons to find importance in reading books. They allow you to escape into a world you may never know and can even help lower stress levels. Reading draws us into a whole range of human emotions that provide wisdom and value and give us a positive distraction that potentially brings so much good into our lives.
Reading books improves confidence and self-esteem, which provides a platform to pursue goals and make decisions in life. Improving our education in almost any area can only enrich our lives beyond measure. There are so many positives about books that it’s hard to imagine a world without them.
“Reading forces you to be quiet in a world that no longer makes place for that.” – John Green
“There is no friend as loyal as a book” – Ernest Hemingway
“I am a part of everything I have read.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“We read to know we’re not alone.” – William Nicholson
“The more you read, the more you know. The more things that you learn, the more places you will go” – Dr. Seuss
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R. R. Martin
“Books aren’t made of pages and words. They are made of hopes, dreams, and possibilities.” – Unknown
“Reading is like breathing in, and writing is like breathing out.” Pam Allyn
“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” – Stephen King
“Let us remember: one book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzei
“I feel the need of reading. It is a loss to a man not to have grown up among books.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them.” – Neil Gaiman
“Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting, and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives us a terrific advantage.” – Roald Dahl
“Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” – Carl Sagan
Happy reading!
Solitaire
“Thanksgiving” – Being Grateful
Remembrance – Samuel F. Pugh
O God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry. When I have work, help me to remember the jobless. When I have a home, help me to remember those who have no home at all. When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer. And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency, bestir my compassion, and be concerned enough to help, by word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. Amen.
He Is Good – Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.
“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson
Thanksgiving Observance – by Author Unknown
Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.
Thanksgiving Day – by Lydia Maria Child
Over the river and through the wood,
To Grandfather’s house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river and through the wood,
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes,
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.
Over the river and through the wood,
Trot fast, my dapple gray!
Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting hound,
For this is Thanksgiving Day.
Over the river and through the wood,
And straight through the barnyard gate!
We seem to go
Extremely slow,
It is so hard to wait!
Over the river and through the wood;
Now Grandmother’s cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND READERS! 
Solitaire
Have an Attitude of Gratitude – It Will Change Your Life
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein
Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means learning to live your life as if everything were a miracle, and being aware on a continuous basis of how much you’ve been given. Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks, to the abundance that is already present. In addition, behavioral and psychological research has shown the surprising life improvements that can stem from the practice of gratitude. Giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient, it strengthens relationships, it improves health, and it reduces stress.
It Heightens Your Quality of Life
A practice of gratitude raises your “happiness set-point” so you can remain at a higher level of happiness regardless of outside circumstances. Research shows that those who practice gratitude tend to be more creative, bounce back more quickly from adversity, have a stronger immune system, and have stronger social relationships than those who don’t practice gratitude. To say we feel grateful is not to say that everything in our lives is necessarily great. It just means we are aware of our blessings.
Notice and Appreciate Each Day’s Gifts
We tend to take for granted the good things in our lives. Imagine losing some of the things that you take for granted, such as your home, your ability to see or hear, your ability to walk, or anything that currently gives you comfort. Then imagine getting each of these things back, one by one, and consider how grateful you would be for each and every one. Start finding joy in the small things instead of the bigger things, like getting the promotion, having a comfortable savings, getting married, or having children, and so on – before allowing yourself to feel gratitude and joy. In the face of hard times ask yourself: “What’s good about this?”, “What can I learn from this?”, and “How can I benefit from this?”
Incorporate Gratitude into your life every day
If we increase our conscious awareness of gratitude it may require that we train ourselves to think differently. This can be done by incorporating some simple exercises into our lives. For example, you might begin to keep a gratitude journal. Gratitude journals can take many forms, but one way of doing this is to simply write down one thing that you are grateful for each day.It can be something that happened that day, something you felt, or someone in your life who has made a positive impact on you.
You can also speak your expressions of gratitude. You can engage someone in a daily discussion about what you are grateful for. This might take the form of questions like, “What was the best part of your day today?”, or “What is one thing that made you feel really happy today?” This kind of discussion not only helps to increase your own awareness of all that you have to be grateful for, but can also promote positive connection and experiences in your relationship with whomever you choose to have these exchanges. Focus on the positive things, which in turn help the stressors feel less significant, and help you feel happier. Basically, gratitude promotes gratitude.
You can train yourself to notice things that you are thankful for. They can be small things: maybe you notice that your bed is very comfortable, that your lunch is tasty, that a good friend said something nice to you, etc. It is easy to take these kinds of experiences for granted and not direct our conscious awareness to them. But training yourself to notice these kinds of things and really feel grateful for them can help increase your own experience of happiness.
Be Thankful –
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Solitaire
Solitaire Parke - Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books 