The History of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a great holiday. It's basically Christmas without the gifting, but with gratitude. This year Aaron and I celebrated last Sunday by cooking a traditional meal with our Seattle friends, Brooke and Steve. Then on the actual day, we went to an American BBQ joint that was having a turkey feast that would make a traditionalist proud. Some of us didn't have the day off work because it's not a holiday in the UK...

Because this was the last week of my contract at EuroFinance and it was Thanksgiving, my coworkers and I decided to have a big lunch together. I made sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top- my favorite Thanksgiving dish that I was anxious for them to try. We sat down and one of them asked, "Where does Thanksgiving come from?" I was speechless. I knew the cliff notes of the holiday: the pilgrims took the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth Rock. There they met Native Americans and they had a meal together. My coworker who grew up in the states for a few years chimed in, "Wasn't there someone named Squanto who taught them?" I was embarrassed. It was a holiday that I've been celebrating my entire life and the only thing I related it to was eating and drinking a lot, American football and family (with usually some sort of drama).

Sure, it's about that, but it's also about much more. So I immediately looked up the history and reminded myself about the harsh winter that the Pilgrims suffered through in New England and how the Native Americans (yes, Squanto) taught them to survive. When I think of Thanksgiving, I'll always associate it with turkey, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie and family, but it's also nice to know why you are there in the first place.

And yes, my coworkers loved the sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top... although they think it's more of a dessert than a side dish : )