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The tradition of thanksgiving
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The norms for thanksgiving
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The Ayeni family gathers every Thanksgiving on Martha’s Vineyard for a festive occasion with friends and associates. This Thanksgiving marks the 20th anniversary of a family tradition called “individual expressions of gratitude” instituted by the late John and Edna Mosley. For this story, a random neighbor (Michael) conveys the power of gratitude by answering one question. I ask the neighbor, “what are you most thankful for during the Thanksgiving holiday?” Michael ponders before expressing his gratitude to God for a gracious feast to share with family and friends. He plans to incorporate the custom into his family rituals this year and gifted me with the following quote; “Gratitude opens the door to … the power, the wisdom, the creativity
Common curtesy has us saying “Thanks” to the point that we may have lost the intentions associated with the response. W.S. Merwin sums up this anomaly in his poem “Thanks”, saying “with nobody listening we are saying thank you” (Merwin 29). We say thanks for so many meaningless things that it no longer carry’s the true intent of the speaker. Instead it is a response to acknowledge the receiver rather than giving true thanks. This repetition allows for questions regarding what are we truly thankful for, and how we make this known to the receiver. Carl Dennis, in his poem, “Thanksgiving Letter From Harry”, struggles with this question. Not seeing himself thankful for all the negative atrocities around him, he tries to find something he can stand up and be thankful for with limited success, “I’m, thankful today I don’t reside in a country/My country has chosen to liberate” (Dennis 2-3). Generic overuse of such a simple, but meaningful word, has made saying “thanks” somewhat mundane, making it harder to express their gratitude to the receiver seamlessly.
Thanksgiving is the start to the holiday season. It is also the start to the holiday travel season. Sadly, the travel often aligns with some of the country's worst weather, biggest crowds, stressed out travelers, and high flight prices from airlines hoping to take advantage of needy patrons. While there is not a lot you can do about the weather or crowds, you can avoid being one of those stressed travelers by planning your trip in advance and taking advantage of a few price saving measures.
As has been made apparent, Thanksgiving has some qualities that have remained the same over the years. However, much of the celebration of Thanksgiving has changed. One thing that has not changed is that families still generally gather together and share a nice meal. Today, however, Thanksgiving seems to have a very different meaning to people. Americans are more focused on television programs and purchasing more material things than being thankful for the blessings they have been given, as the Pilgrims were thankful for their success in the New World.
The festive season is ripe with rich food, sugary treats and alcohol – making it tempting to over-indulge. What's more, all of the festivities can seriously mess with your workout routine! The best way to survive the holidays is to eat in moderation, make wise food choices, and continue to exercise – even if you simply take a walk around the park, or do some squats and lunges at home.
Thanksgiving is undoubtedly a holiday to celebrate family. It also celebrates many other things, as the name suggests. Thanksgiving is a holiday to give thanks for the things that a person has rather than to wish for more things. Accomplishments and shiny cars are not part of the essence of Thanksgiving, as these do not have the inherent humbleness expected of the holiday. This air of humility and frugality, harkening back to the days of the pilgrims and Native Americans, is probably what lead Ellen Goodman to describe the holiday as a suppressing of individualism. However, the rift between individuality and family that Goodman describes in Thanksgiving is not as deep as she makes it seem, and Thanksgiving Day is hardly the only day of the
Thanksgiving is a very important holiday in present-day American culture. People all throughout America take extra care to make this day a memorable and happy celebration. This tradition has been in the American lifestyle since 1621 when it first started. Even though this tradition has been altered and changed the significance and meaning remains the same. The first Thanksgiving was an important landmark and made a huge imprint in the American culture today.
Did you know, in 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies? Thanksgiving is a holiday to give thanks. I am thankful for my family, my friends, and my teachers at school. You should always be thankful, for a big gift, or even just a tiny little one. When you give thanks, it can warm someone's heart or make them feel good about themselves.
It was a nice and sunny day. The sun was shining bright and the leaves on the trees gave a vibrant color of orange and red creating a magical fairy tale. The leaves on the ground dancing every time the wind howled. Families all around gathering together under one roof on this special day creating a delicious feast meant to feed a whole kingdom. The food being cooked filling the air with a spectacular smell of pumpkin, cinnamon, turkey, and other spectacular smells. The magical day that brings families together is known all across the world as Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving while playing fetch with my owner’s family I learned that not complaining for one day can bring families closer together.
Paper plates, plastic forks and a pot of spaghetti is not how I imagined my Thanksgiving holiday. It was not a house packed with chattering family members or a buffet filled with five different kinds of the same green bean casserole. Instead, my dad, mom and brother sat with me elbow to elbow at a round fold-out table in the center of our vacant house. I blankly stared at each member of my family and guided my fork back and forth across my plate, trying the hide my discontent, and wishing we were truly home. In that instance I could not list but two things I had to be thankful for.
Textbooks in today’s schools still tell the same story that has been handed down from generation to generation. Every year children dress up and put on plays about the famous story of the first Thanksgiving. No one knows the truth though or at least people pretend to not know the embarrassing truth of our “founding fathers.” Textbooks today give the candy coated version of good saintly Englishmen come to a better world and find good neighbors willing to help in their time of need.
Amazing a zillion times is how I would describe my Thanksgiving this year! I went to Las Vegas to go visit my dad. We didn't really go anywhere but we got to sit down and hang out with each other. Going to Las Vegas is special to me because I don't get to see my dad as often as i'd like to. Every moment in Vegas is truly a moment to enjoy and admire.
Finding focus and the true reason of Thanksgiving and other holiday celebrations can not only make them enjoyable but meaningful and magical.
The purpose of Thanksgiving in Canada is different from the Americans. But even though the reasons for giving thanks are different, many of the customs are the same. Canadian Thanksgiving was originally started to give thanks to God for a bountiful harvest. This was when there were lots of farmers that grew crops. Now we give thanks for everything we appreciate. Some farming families still give thanks for a good crop.
In our society we have many traditions. These traditions all have certain meanings behind them; however, many of those meanings tend to be lost or forgotten. The holiday of Thanksgiving was originally a celebration to commemorate the arrival of the pilgrims in the new world and their first interactions with the Native Americans. So then why is it still celebrated today? There is no actual purpose in today’s society to observe this custom. It has just continued to be observed because of past traditions. There is no logical reason to continue this fête, as it holds little or no value. With the passage of time the actual reasons have been lost or distorted, such as in the case of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.”
The author of this essay, Michael Arlen, in his summary of the holidays, Ode to `Thanksgiving is nostalgic and bitter about the subject. Arlen’s purpose it to break down and criticize every aspect of Thansksgiving in a cloying, annoyed way. Arlen speaks of the “pointless” traditons that go along with Thanksgiving and the bland history of how the celebratory day was formed. The author does this by using strong rhetorical devices such as imagery, syntax, and tone. While reading this one may feel as if Arlen is personally attacking them, and their appreciation of the day of celebration. He adopts a satirical tone in order to convince the reader that Thanksgiving is a terrible day, and that he does not enjoy any particular detail of it.