‘Tis the Thanksgiving season again! As we must all be aware, Thanksgiving is a national holiday and a day when the family and friends gets together and feasts on elaborate dishes.

Thanksgiving Day is a reason for major celebration in the USA and it falls on the fourth Thursday of November every year. On this day, Americans give thanks and express their gratitude to the almighty for the good things they have had in the year gone by. This year, Thanksgiving will be celebrated on the 27th of November, 2008. Thanksgiving is also another name for the Harvest Festival in Great Britain which marks the end of the harvesting season there.

Though the exact origin of the tradition is often a topic of debate, many agree that the genesis of Thanksgiving can be traced down to 17th century US, when early settlers in North America celebrated the first American Thanksgiving in 1621. In order to show their gratefulness towards a bountiful of crops, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians got together and shared an autumn harvest feast in Plymouth Plantations. In 1863, during the reign of Abraham Lincoln, Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed a national holiday and has since been so.

Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated by preparing sumptuous dinners, saying grace, raising toasts, reuniting with family and friends, and exchanging gifts as a token of love and appreciation. Meals prepared include ham, fruits, mashed sweet potatoes, corn cobs, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, chicken and eggs, duck, milk, cheese, and turkey with some filling as the centerpiece. Another popular Thanksgiving dish is Turducken, which is again a turkey dish stuffed with chicken and duck meat and glazed with honey, herbs, and seasonings.

Some of the gifts exchanged on Thanksgiving are readymade or handmade thanksgiving gift baskets and hampers filled with nuts, chocolates, cheese, crackers, jams, and other eatables. Another fun gift is the Thanksgiving box of questions with question cards that help exchange ideas, break the ice, start a meaningful conversation, and bond with family and friends. Cookie baskets and chocolate bar cakes also form a good gifting idea. Turkey placecard holders also make a good gift and let you personalize seating arrangement for your guests. Other notable Thanksgiving gifts include wreaths, bouquets, themed dinner sets, gourmet pies and cakes, decorative fruit baskets, centerpieces and dainty collectibles.

By: Jack

About the Author: