by Nancy Reynolds

Every Thanksgiving morning when I was young, my mother would wake me early so I could help her prepare and stuff the turkey. While the rest of the family slept, we would spend hours together talking and laughing as we carefully made the homemade stuffing from scratch. She would always tell me how she used to make the same stuffing when she was a little girl, and how my grandmother made it when she was a girl.

 There’s something special about traditions. Some, like ours, are handed down from generation to generation; others are inspired and born within their own families. Either way, it’s the ties that bind us together, help us mark the passing of the years, and offer us all comfort and warmth. For children, no matter what the tradition, the anticipation and excitement heightens with each passing day as that special event draws near. These family customs bring a sense of belonging, familiarity and routine to their lives, creating life-long childhood memories.

But who says traditions have to be “traditional”? Why not make this Thanksgiving holiday extra special by adding a new tradition that’s sure to bring your family closer together. Below are 10 fun Thanksgiving traditions that you may want to adopt as your own.

Turkey Talk

Ben Franklin, in a letter to his daughter, proposed the turkey as the official bird of the United States.

The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog.

A 15-pound turkey usually has about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.

The male turkey is called a tom.

The female turkey is called a hen.

The turkey was domesticated in Mexico and brought to Europe in the 16th century.

Wild turkeys can fly for short distances up to 55 miles per hour.

Turkeys’ heads change colors when they become excited.

Turkey feathers were used by Native Americans to stabilize arrows.

Most of the turkeys raised for commercial production are White Hollands.

Turkey eggs are tan with brown specks and are larger than chicken eggs.

The turkeys produced in 2005 were valued at $3.2 billion.

45 million turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving.

Male turkeys gobble. Hens do not. They make a clicking noise.

The ballroom dance the "turkey trot" was named for the short, jerky steps that turkeys take.

Turkeys can see in color.

Turkeys have heart attacks. The United States Air Force was doing test runs and breaking the sound barrier. Nearby turkeys dropped dead with heart attacks.

Henry VIII was the first English king to enjoy turkey, and Edward VII made turkey eating fashionable at Christmas.

June is National Turkey Lover’s Month.

Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey and two dressed turkeys to the President. The President does not eat the live turkey. He "pardons" it and allows it to live out its days on a historical farm.

Thanksgiving Trivia:
Fact vs. Fiction

According to James W. Baker, a historian at the Plimoth Plantation, the reason that Americans have so many myths associated with Thanksgiving is that it is an invented tradition. It doesn’t originate in any one event. It is based on the New England Puritan Thanksgiving, which is a religious Thanksgiving, and the traditional harvest celebrations of England and New England, along with other ideas like commemorating the pilgrims. All of these have been gathered together and transformed into something different from the original parts.

Myth: The first Thanksgiving was in 1621, and the pilgrims celebrated it every year thereafter.
Fact: The first feast wasn’t repeated, so it wasn’t the beginning of a tradition. In fact, the colonists didn’t even call the day Thanksgiving. To them, a thanksgiving was a religious holiday in which they would go to church and thank God for a specific event, such as the winning of a battle. On such a religious day, the types of recreational activities that the pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians participated in during the 1621 harvest feast like dancing, singing secular songs and playing games wouldn’t have been allowed. The feast was a secular celebration, so it never would have been considered a thanksgiving in the pilgrims’ minds.

Myth: The original Thanksgiving feast took place on the fourth Thursday of November.
Fact: The original feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11. Unlike our modern holiday, it was three days long. The event was based on English harvest festivals, which traditionally occurred around September 29. After that first harvest was completed by the Plymouth colonists, Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer, shared by all the colonists and neighboring Indians. In 1623 a day of fasting and prayer during a period of drought was changed to one of thanksgiving because the rain came during the prayers. Gradually the custom prevailed in New England of annually celebrating thanksgiving after the harvest.

During the American Revolution, a yearly day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November, which he may have correlated with the November 21, 1621, anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod.

Myth: The pilgrims wore only black and white clothing. They had buckles on their hats, garments and shoes.
Fact: Buckles did not come into fashion until later in the 17th century, and black and white were commonly worn only on Sunday and formal occasions. Women typically dressed in red, earthy green, brown, blue, violet and gray, while men wore clothing in white, beige, black, earthy green and brown.

Myth: The Mayflower was headed for Virginia, but due to a navigational mistake it ended up in the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts.
Fact: The Pilgrims were in fact planning to settle in Virginia, but not the modern-day state of Virginia. They were part of the Virginia Company, which had the rights to most of the eastern seaboard of the U.S. The pilgrims had intended to go to the Hudson River region in New York State, which would have been considered “Northern Virginia,” but they landed in Cape Cod instead. Treacherous seas prevented them from venturing further south.

Slow Down the Pace

Thanksgiving can be a very stressful holiday for some families. Why not forget the hectic menu planning, preparation, cooking and cleanup and consider slowing down the pace a bit to enjoy a “not so traditional” Thanksgiving. For Michelle Kern and her family it’s all about spending time together doing what they like to do. “Every year my husband and I take our two boys to the beach. We enjoy fresh fish, make homemade mashed potatoes and green beans, and enjoy homemade key lime pie for dessert. No casseroles, no stressful family issues and no dressing up. We eat on the porch in the fresh air with our bathing suits on if we please. At the end of the day, we get our beach chairs and head to the beach to watch the sunset.”

Host a Thanksgiving Potluck

Cooking a big Thanksgiving dinner can be a daunting task, especially for those who don’t have family members nearby to share in the preparation and cooking of the dinner. Why not think about having a potluck Thanksgiving dinner with friends and neighbors? It can be as formal or as casual and relaxed as you wish. Take out the fine china and fancy silver, or enjoy the freedom of a quick clean up with sturdy paper plates and napkins. Designate one person to be the host/hostess who prepares the turkey while the other side dishes and desserts are divided among friends. What better way to experience the fun and excitement of a big Thanksgiving dinner without all the work that can sometimes accompany it?

Take a Step Back in Time

For Sue McGinnis, a kindergarten teacher at New Prospect Elementary School, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks and remembering days past. Every Thanksgiving her family prepares a recipe that dates back to the Pilgrims. “This recipe has been handed down for many, many years from relatives that were settlers in Providence, Rhode Island. My daughters all have learned how to cook this recipe for themselves and ask that it be included in the Thanksgiving dinner. It is surprisingly simple, yet very filling! My family looks forward to it every year.” To find more old-fashioned recipes, visit www.pilgrimhall.org.

Thanksgiving Family Scrapbook

When I was growing up, a scrapbook was typically a book filled with a few newspaper clippings, birthday cards, thank you notes and maybe even a lock of baby hair. Today’s moms are telling a story with scrapbooks, organizing the moments of their family’s life and creating an invaluable family heirloom for generations to come. This Thanksgiving, why not put a new twist on the traditional scrapbook idea. Before dinner, offer family members and guests an opportunity to write what they are thankful for on decorative die-cut leaves or pumpkins. (A good variety can be found at any school supply store.) These, along with a few prized Thanksgiving photos on the backdrop of pretty autumn paper, can be the start of a wonderful family keepsake and tradition. It can be as simple or as elaborate as your creativity allows, but rest assured, no matter how simple it may be, your family will love looking back at it for years to come.

Have an After Dinner Card Game

For many families, once dinner is over, it’s time for the adults to relax, talk and unwind. Typically the kids are running around with plenty of energy, and the men retreat to watch the game on TV while the ladies take on the duty of cleaning. For Vern Hill and his family in Alpharetta, that’s not the case. “In our family, we typically have a big Thanksgiving dinner with 20-30 people. When dinner is over, we all enjoy a card game. We choose an easy card game that the kids enjoy as well as the adults. To really make it fun, everyone puts $5 to $10 into a pot. … The anticipation of who will win the pot is so exciting for the kids. This is a tradition that will always be a part of our Thanksgiving holidays.”

Give Thanks the Old-Fashioned Way

Starting a tradition doesn’t have to take up a lot of time, cost a lot of money or require heavy planning. Sometimes the simplest traditions are the best and most meaningful. For Chris Cone and her family, Thanksgiving means giving thanks the old-fashioned way. “Before we eat, while everyone is around the table, we go one by one and each person says at least one thing they are thankful for. It’s especially wonderful for the younger children – they come up with the most interesting, humorous and sometimes sentimental things.”

Create a Thanksgiving Tablecloth

This is an art project that can be used and added to for years to come. Set out a plain white cloth tablecloth and an assortment of fine-point permanent fabric markers. Guests can sign their names, write special gratitudes and other thankful things, draw pictures and add the date. After the day is over, you can embroider the words and images onto the cloth, or just leave it as is. Save the cloth and bring it out at next year’s event for more holiday embellishments. You can use a different color each year or mix up the colors for more fun. Everyone will enjoy looking back on the previous years’ messages.

Adorn the Table with Treasures

When guests arrive at your home this Thanksgiving, make them feel extra special by decorating the table with a unique gift for each guest. For Gina Brown and her family, planning begins at least one week before Thanksgiving as her daughters, ages 9 and 12, decide what special item they will make. “The item must be homemade by my two daughters, and each guest must receive one that is uniquely theirs at the Thanksgiving table. Special items in past years have included autumn-colored placemats decorated with ribbon, glitter leaves, edible napkin ring holders decorated with each guest’s favorite candy, and photo place cards. This tradition has become the most treasured part of our holiday.”

Put on a Thanksgiving Play

For the Lawrence family a Thanksgiving play has become a wonderful family tradition that brings true meaning to the holiday and offers the kids something to do while the adults relax after dinner. “My three daughters look forward to this every year. After dinner, they perform a complete production. We started out the first year with a Thanksgiving theme, but through the years it has evolved into a full-blown variety show complete with admission tickets, intermission and even popcorn. It’s such a fun way for all of us to spend special time together laughing and just enjoying each other’s company.”

Enjoy a Game of Football

After everyone has consumed just about as much turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce as they can stand, a little family football might be just the trick to help work off some of those extra calories. Why not invite some friends or neighbors over to join you? While the adults and older children battle it out, the younger children can take part as they cheer their team on and keep the water supply flowing. After the game, enjoy apple pie a la mode or pumpkin pie for dessert.

 

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