Thanksgiving

[GreenMunchkin]

Steve has a Thanksgiving rep thread going on, and I don't want to step on his toes, but we don't get Thanksgiving here and it seems like SUCH a lovely, Autumny, cosy time of year, so I was wondering what it means to you? What does it make you think of? What do you eat? Is it as big as Christmas?

Do you have any nice Thanksgiving stories?

Thank you berry much

 

[CruciFixed]

This year I plan on celebrating in church with my church family and praising and worshiping with them. I *think* that the church I attend is holding service this year but I can't be too sure but if they aren't my dear hubby and I are going to start the day off by saying prayers of thanks and singing hymns, reading from the bible and of course praising God.

Then we will go to my father-in-law's house and say grace and enjoy a big ham because my father-in-law does not buy or cook turkeys he likes his crock pot so he always stews hams on Thanksgiving. We don't go all out. There's not a point in going all out for us. We have a main meat, two or three sides, some juice,milk or water, then we all give hugs and play games and say goodnight and go home.

A lot of families traditionally buy a huge turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, candied yams, salad, rolls and butter, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and egg nog. But to me that's just way too much food for one family lol.

My family just does ham two veggies mashed potatoes and gravy and some sort of beverage and end the night with hugs, games etc.

Thanksgiving means to me to give thanks especially to our heavenly Father because he's always blessing us with another day and that alone is enough to be thankful for. It is also to me a reminder of how our country was founded. Another thing it always does for me is fills me with joy because it reminds me that we sometimes complain and grumble too much and never show how grateful we are to have what we have.

Its not as hugely celebrated as Christmas in America but its pretty much really high up on the scale. Its a bigger holiday than say Easter but a tad tinier than Christmas. That to me is only because companies like Hallmark make the biggest deal out of the holidays where people intend to spend the most money.

 

[GreenMunchkin]

Thanks, Rlunatic

It always seems to be connected to pumpkins, and open fire-places, and lots of orange and brown and russet red leaves on the floor and candles and frost on the windows and chestnuts and homespun rag dolls and twigs... is it like that?

 

[JustAsIam77]

What thanksgiving means to me is family getting together to share our blessings thru good FOOD! And football!






What Christmas means to me is remembering and celebrating the birth of our Saviour. Only Easter has more importance as a reason to celebrate. He is RISEN!

 

[GreenMunchkin]

Ooh, football at Thanksgiving? Do you play or do the professionals play?

 

[rae72]

Colonists of the Plymouth Plantation celebrated the first Thanksgiving back in the 1600 as a celebration of their first harvest. There were other reasons that colonist would have days of "thanksgiving" that usually called for Prayer and fasting which is a far cry from how we celebrate now! It was made a US Holiday by our first President George Washington. It was a "Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer" on November 26th "to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God."

For me it is a day to spend with family and be thankful.

As far as food, I am making a turkey, mash potatoes, candied yams, fruit salald (cherry -whip cream- marshmallow thing), cranberry sauce, rolls, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole pecan pie and pumkin pie.

Christmas is not really bigger or smaller for our family. I think Christmas is more exciting for the kids because of the gifts, lights and music! For Christmas we have Prime Rib instead of Turkey and for Easter we have ham.

I also use Thanksgiving as the start of the Christmas music. I suppose a non-Christian would think that all the music I listen sounds like Christmas music, but really I DO pull out some "christmas" music after Thanksgiving!

 

[MrJim]

So do Brits have something similar to Thanksgiving? It's way better than Christmas...Christmas is just another bill..

 

[JustAsIam77]

Ooh, football at Thanksgiving? Do you play or do the professionals play?

It's a family tradition watching the game. I was fortunate to play football at the college level but never as a pro. My playing days are over but even my uncle Don who has Parkinsons still enjoys watching it.

 

[ReformedChapin]

Food!

 

[GQ Chris]

Thanksgiving has become all about Food debauchery as it is every year.

 

[JustAsIam77]

Food!

And lots of it! I love thanksgiving. It's a great time of year.

 

[CruciFixed]

Thanks, Rlunatic

It always seems to be connected to pumpkins, and open fire-places, and lots of orange and brown and russet red leaves on the floor and candles and frost on the windows and chestnuts and homespun rag dolls and twigs... is it like that?

I have candles all year round so I don't know if other people just buy candles for the season. Red leaves you know are just a sign of autumn so people associate autumn with the holidays that are celebrated in autumn. I've never had a homespun rag doll though. I feel left out. Open fire places are really common in the northern part of USA but in the south we didn't have too many homes with open fire places. Who needs them when the coldest we got was like 40? ( I lived in New Orleans before the Katrina disaster if anyone wants to know why I talk about the south like I'm from there, y'all.) LOL. Frost on the windows is another thing mostly seen in the north which I've grown accustomed to. I hate snow by the way.

Some people who watch Martha Stewart like gather stuff like twigs and leaves and put them in a pretty arrangement and call it a center piece. But not me. I guess that's what you mean by twigs.

Most Americans just eat a lot of food, unbutton their pants, flip on the football game and have an evening nap before or after pumpkin pie.

But not my family we plan to spend the whole day giving thanks to God and praying and singing and if there's service we'll be there and we'll eat ham with my father-in-law.

IMO Thanksgiving is just another way for Americans to add disgusting waste to the hundreds of tons of food that's already wasted here.

 

[porterross]

Family, food, football, cold weather and the official start of the Christmas shopping season.

It's good family times, Greenie and people typically have 4 days off work to spend time with as much of their family as possible. It's nice. We lay around the house, watch TV and stuff ourselves like ticks.

 

[JustAsIam77]

Family, food, football, cold weather and the official start of the Christmas shopping season.

It's good family times, Greenie and people typically have 4 days off work to spend time with as much of their family as possible. It's nice. We lay around the house, watch TV and stuff ourselves like ticks.

Couldn't have said it better. Happy thanksgiving. (I hope I'll refrain from that 2nd helping for once).

 

[CruciFixed]

I wish my husband got even 1 day off for Thanksgiving but he works everyday even holidays. But at least he always gets Sunday off which I'm happy about. I get 5 days off though. So I make up for his loss.

 

[porterross]

Couldn't have said it better. Happy thanksgiving. (I hope I'll refrain from that 2nd helping for once).

Happy Thanksgiving.
I always have my second helping later in the day. Spreading it out makes only half the calories count. It's a fact.


I love that the Hallmark Channel has already started airing a bunch of family Christmas movies. Movies, movies, movies make is easy for me to hibernate.

 

[CADude12]

I'm taking my bike out right now for a vrooom vrooom around the state park. Perfect weather for motorcross! Another reason for some Thanksgiving!

 

[CruciFixed]

I found out my church will have a Thanksgiving dinner and service on Tuesday. Which, luckily, my husband will have off for.

 

[JustAsIam77]

Happy Thanksgiving.
I always have my second helping later in the day. Spreading it out makes only half the calories count. It's a fact.


I love that the Hallmark Channel has already started airing a bunch of family Christmas movies. Movies, movies, movies make is easy for me to hibernate.

Movies are great. Hallmark channel is good. I like TCM. Lots of classics with Bogie. Cassablanca, To Have and Have Not... anything with Bogart.

We're so blessed. Eating great food with family together. Doesn't get much better.

 

[edie19]

What thanksgiving means to me is family getting together to share our blessings thru good FOOD! And football!

So do Brits have something similar to Thanksgiving? It's way better than Christmas...Christmas is just another bill..

I agree - when I was a kid there used to be 20-30 people at my grandma's house for Thanksgiving - lots of good food, lots of laughs & conversation and always a football game on t.v.

Definitely my favorite holiday - quieter than Christmas, not as hectic. Lots of family time - restful, relaxing.

This year though it will just be my husband, daughter and myself. My dad and his wife are spending Thanksgiving with Lois' kids. My sister is going to Kentucky. My son, d-i-l and grandboys are spending the day with her sister's family. So it's going to be quiet at my house, won't be fixing a huge meal since it's just the 3 of us.