Thanksgiving: Well?
Thanksgiving is a truly American holiday, and the first to be started here. The traditional story of the first Thanksgiving is that the friendly Wampanoag Indians shared with the Puritan colonists in Plymouth (now called pilgrims) the bounties of their feast in an act of charity. Since then, Thanksgiving has slowly become an American tradition. In 1680, Thanksgiving celebrations became a state holiday in Massachusetts, and in Connecticut in 1647. The first truly “American” Thanksgiving, however, was celebrated in December 1777, with General George Washington declaring a “day of thanksgiving” in the Continental Army to celebrate their victory at the Battle of Saratoga. In 1789, the first national Thanksgiving was celebrated. It would not be until 1863, during the Civil War, that President Lincoln would make Thanksgiving a national annual holiday, to be celebrated on the last Thursday of November.

But Thanksgiving today has several traditions that have been added over the years. The Thanksgiving Classic, football games played on Turkey Day, is one of the greatest pastimes for Americans. Also, parades are held across America every Thanksgiving, the most famous being the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”, an entertaining presentation for the entire family. But the food, the food is what makes Thanksgiving the day it is. Families gathering together, eating and sharing times with their loved ones. We polled the Gunderson audience about what their favorites parts of Thanksgiving were. Their favorite foods, their favorite traditions, and of course; what their favorite pies were. All traditional items of Thanksgiving are actually native to America originally. Turkies, corn, potatoes, and pumpkins, the traditional “noble foods” of Thanksgiving, were introduced to Europe only after Thanksgiving.