Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and is only 56 days away. Just thinking about it conjures up all kinds of memories. Most of them deal with food, but others are a mélange of elementary school lessons and Disney movies.

Construction paper handprint turkeys. Pumpkin Pie. Pilgrims and Indians getting together. Columbus misnaming Native Americans Indians. Sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Cornucopias. Cranberry sauce. Macy’s Day Parade. Family. Friends. Perfect AZ weather.

What’s funny about this holiday is that we don’t often reflect on its origins or how so much of the history has been forgotten. I blame Walmart and Hallmark. Nevertheless, recent events inspired me to look into the origins of Turkey Fest once again.

Here’s an excerpt I found on the History channel’s Web site about the first Thanksgiving:

“In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans.”

Ok, here’s why this is funny. My friends Katie and Ben are getting married the day after Thanksgiving this year. Katie, my cowgirl from Wyoming, is as American as they come. Ben on the other hand, is Navajo and grew up on the reservation in northern Arizona. I take remote credit for these two kids getting together, since I encouraged Ben to get a new job, and he met Miss Katie at that new job, but that’s beside the point. (Yes Katie, I am that vain).

Since their wedding is going to be the day after Thanksgiving, it only makes sense for their rehearsal to be on Turkey Day itself. The first time their two families meet will be on Thanksgiving Day. Yes, the meeting and celebration will be more than a little reminiscent of the first Thanksgiving. Both families will bring their own traditional foods and customs as two unique cultures blend together.

Fortunately, Katie and Ben have a good sense of humor and find this as comical as I do, and even gave me permission to write about it.

The whole purpose in writing about this was not to embarrass them, but to point out that even hundreds of years after the first Thanksgiving, the purpose and message behind the holiday remain. It continues to remind us that despite our differences we can come together to celebrate the most important things in life.