Two takes on Thanksgiving

I'm always interested in how things change over time. Thanksgiving is a good example. After the first Thanksgiving (I'm talking about the one in Plymouth), there were yearly proclamations of thanks and special church services. But nothing formalized or standard until Abraham Lincoln fixed the date in 1863.

The old-school idea of the Pilgrims. Here comes trouble.

Only after the Civil War did the holiday become established with its own symbols, phrases, and traditions. Until fairly recently, the holiday (in part) marked the heroic survival of the Pilgrims during their first hard winter in New England.

The details of that story were always somewhat blurred by the holiday. The Pilgrims weren't a unified group. Some were Separatists, others just tradesmen and adventurers sharing the ride. The role of the Native Americans was virtually written out of the narrative. There's disagreement as to which colony actually held the first Thanksgiving in America, and so on.

These days, it seems that Thanksgiving is just a signpost between Halloween and Christmas (I mean, who dresses up like a Pilgrim?). The role of the holiday keeps changing. It's a national holiday -- with every retailer open for business.

Tradition still plays a strong role -- family traditions. I think most families have must-have Thanksgiving menu items. And the day's structure; when to eat, when to watch the bowl games, etc. And I suspect that if we could fast-forward a few decades some of those traditions would be changed as well.

This early 20th Century postcard shows just how far we've drifted
from the old Pilgrim narrative. Yeah, it's a hot mess, but this is actually
what we'll be doing this holiday. Driving a long distance with the fixing
for the holiday meal (but none of it still alive).

I'm writing this the week before Thanksgiving so I can spend time with my family. That's my tradition. And it's one that hasn't changed in over a half a century. Have a good holiday everyone.