THANKSGIVING FACTS

A few intesting facts and stories about the Thanksgiving holiday here in America.

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"STUFFED" TURKEY
The turkey shot out of the oven and rocketed into the air;
It knocked every plate off the table and partly demolished a chair.
It ricocheted into a corner and burst with a deafening boom,
Then splattered all over the kitchen, completely obscuring the room.

It stuck to the walls and the windows, it totally coated the floor;
There was turkey attached to the ceiling, where there'd never been turkey before.
It blanketed every appliance; it smeared every saucer and bowl;
There wasn't a way I could stop it; that turkey was out of control.

I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure, and thought with chagrin as I mopped,
That I'd never again stuff a turkey with popcorn that hadn't been popped!
[Author unknown].

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THANKSGIVING "WEATHER FORECAST"
Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an afternoon high near 190F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and if you bother the cook, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.

During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of one to two inches on plates. Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while cranberry sauce creates slippery spots on the other. Please pass the gravy.

A weight watch and indigestion warning have been issued for the entire area, with increased stuffiness around the beltway. During the evening, the turkey will diminish and taper off to leftovers, dropping to a low of 34F in the refrigerator.

Looking ahead to Friday and Saturday, high pressure to eat sandwiches will be established. Flurries of leftovers can be expected both days with a 50 percent chance of scattered soup late in the day. We expect a warming trend where soup develops. By early next week, eating pressure will be low as the only wish left will be the bone.

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THE TOP 10 THANKSGIVING-THEMED MOVIES (Parody)

10. To Kill A Walking Bird
9. My Best Friend's Dressing
8. Casserolablanca
7. The Fabulous Baster Boys
6. 12 Hungry Men
5. Silence of the Yams
4. All the President's Men
3. White Meat Can't Jump
2. When Harry Met Salad

...and the #1 upcoming Thanksgiving-themed movie:

1. The Wing and I

• • • • •

President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored Thursday before last of November as Thanksgiving Day in the year 1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy of the state.
 
Congress passed an official proclamation in 1941 and declared that now onwards Thanksgiving will be observed as a legal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November every year.

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The first National Football League game held on Thanksgiving Day was in 1934, when the Detroit Lions played the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit stadium, in front of 26,000 fans. The NBC radio network broadcast the game on 94 stations across the country. Since that time, the Lions have played a game every Thanksgiving (except between 1939 and 1944)—in 1956, fans watched the game on television for the first time.

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Despite record-high gas prices (more than $3.00 per gallon) in 2007, the American Automobile Association (AAA) estimated that 38.7 million Americans would travel 50 miles or more from home for the Thanksgiving holiday, a slight increase of 1.5% over the previous year.

Of those Americans traveling for Thanksgiving in 2007, approximately 80 percent (31.2 million) were expected to go by motor vehicle, 12.1 percent (4.7 million) by airplane and the rest (2.8 million) by train, bus or other mode of transportation.

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Originally known as Macy's Christmas Parade—to signify the launch of the Christmas shopping season—the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in New York City in 1924. It was launched by Macy's employees and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. In 2007, some 3 million people attend the annual parade and another 44 million watched it on television.

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The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys—one fifth of the annual total of 235 million consumed in the United States in 2007—were eaten at Thanksgiving.

In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds (the Guiness record is 86 pounds!).

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Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor with a magazine, started a Thanksgiving campaign in 1827—and it was result of her constant efforts that President Abraham Lincoln issued, on the third October of 1863, a 'Thanksgiving Proclamation' and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving.

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The cranberry is a symbol and a modern diet staple of Thanksgiving. Originally called crane berry, it derived its name from its pink blossoms and drooping head, which reminded the Pilgrims of a crane.

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Turkeys are known to spend the night in trees (maybe to escape the Thanksgiving table?), and was one of the first animals in the Americas to be domesticated.

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The First Thanksgiving lasted for three days.

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Foods that PROBABLY WERE on the Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving Menu:

Seafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster

Wild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagles

Meat: Venison, Seal

Grain: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn

Vegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots

Fruit: Plums, Grapes

Nuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Acorns

Herbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips

Foods that WERE NOT on the Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving Menu:

Surprisingly, the following foods, all considered staples of the modern Thanksgiving meal, didn't appear on the pilgrims's first feast table:

Ham: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England.

Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes: These were not common.

Corn on the Cob: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year.

Cranberry Sauce: The colonists had cranberries but no sugar at this time.

Pumpkin Pie: It's not a recipe that exists at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin.

Chicken/Eggs: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it's unknown how many they had left at this point or whether the hens were still laying.

Milk: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it's possible that the colonists used goat milk to make cheese.
[Source: Kathleen Curtin, Food Historian at Plimoth Plantation].

 

 

 

It's easy in our culture to lose sight of what we're remembering on Thanksgiving. Even considering the economic downturn we are experiencing, we still have much abundance.

In the midst of the bountiful feasts we have with family and friends; for all the glitter and decorations in preparation for Christmas; of the mail circulars prompting us to be early for the big sale; and even for a well-deserved day off, it's easy to forget the 'true meaning' of Thanksgiving.

The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast—including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast lasted three days.

But the Pilgrims' trials were far from finished—their plentiful autumn was followed by a particularly treacherous winter. Unfortunately, the weather proved to be the least of their ailments. In November a ship called "The Fortune" dropped anchor in their harbor. Aboard the ship were 35 more colonists who had brought with them no provisions—no food, no extra clothing, no equipment for survival. Additionally, the oppression of the physical environment had become almost unbearable after a 12 week drought dried up their crops and withered their spirits. The newcomers arrival had drained already inadequate food rations and there was no obvious resource for sustenance. At their lowest point, the Pilgrims were all reduced to a daily ration of FIVE KERNELS OF CORN apiece.

The following poem was written by Hezekiah Butterworth, an American patriot schoolteacher from Boston, in April 1622, when their food supply was almost gone.

 

FIVE KERNELS OF CORN
‘Twas the year of the famine in Plymouth of old,
The ice and the snow from the thatched roofs had rolled;
Through the warm purple skies steered the geese o’er the seas,
And the woodpeckers tapped in the clocks of the trees;
And the boughs on the slopes to the south winds lay bare,
and dreaming of summer, the buds swelled in the air.
The pale Pilgrims welcomed each reddening morn;
There were left but for rations Five Kernels of Corn.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
But to Bradford a feast were Five Kernels of Corn!

“Five Kernels of Corn! Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye people, be glad for Five Kernels of Corn!”
So Bradford cried out on bleak Burial Hill,
And the thin women stood in their doors, white and still.
“Lo, the harbor of Plymouth rolls bright in the Spring,
The maples grow red, and the wood robins sing,
The west wind is blowing, and fading the snow,
And the pleasant pines sing, and arbutuses blow.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
To each one be given Five Kernels of Corn!”

O Bradford of Austerfield hast on thy way,
The west winds are blowing o’er Provincetown Bay,
The white avens bloom, but the pine domes are chill,
And new graves have furrowed Precisioners’ Hill!
“Give thanks, all ye people, the warm skies have come,
The hilltops are sunny, and green grows the holm,
And the trumpets of winds, and the white March is gone,
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye have for Thanksgiving Five Kernels of Corn!

“The raven’s gift eat and be humble and pray,
A new light is breaking and Truth leads your way;
One taper a thousand shall kindle; rejoice
That to you has been given the wilderness voice!”
O Bradford of Austerfield, daring the wave,
And safe through the sounding blasts leading the brave,
Of deeds such as thine was the free nation born,
And the festal world sings the “Five Kernels of Corn.”
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!
To the Thanksgiving Feast bring Five Kernels of Corn!
[Author: Hezekiah Butterworth, April 1622].

Again, things did turn around—14 days of rain followed. A second Day of Thanksgiving was declared, and the pilgrims feasted on game and turkey as they had during the previous celebration, only this time one dish was different. The first course, served on an empty plate in front of each person, consisted of FIVE KERNELS OF CORN, a gentle 'reminder' of what had happen in the past.

The Pilgrims' humble response to their affliction is evidenced by their many writings which express deeply thankful hearts. We can learn countless lessons about sincere thankfulness from their example.

FIVE KERNELS
[Hover your mouse over the box below to be able to play the 1 minute presentation]

 

We, like the Pilgrims, all have a 'choice'—in life there will always be those things that we can complain about—but there will also be much to be grateful for.

Thanksgiving should be a continuous attitude of the heart rather than simply one day of the year—being grateful for what you have, and finding 'joy' in being generous by SHARING SOME OF WHAT YOU HAVE. So, express your appreciation in your own way. The upcoming holiday season is a great time for your family to get involved in helping to meet the needs of others in your community. Here are some ideas for reaching out and helping others during the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

• Donate your time helping out at a food kitchen or a food bank.

• Visit someone who lives at a nursing home or who lives alone and is confined at home because of poor health.

• Invite some neighbors who don’t have plans to join your family for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

• Buy some (or all) of the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner groceries for a needy family in your community.

• Have your family go through their winter clothes and coats, pick out those that are old or are no longer wanted or needed---and give them to homeless people in your area---or take them to a local shelter.

• Make some bag lunches and distribute them to homeless people in your area.

• Make more desserts than you need for your holiday meals. Give extras to neighbors or to a needy family in your area.

• Find an elderly person in your area that could use some help at the grocery store. Better yet, invite them to your home for a special holiday meal.

• Find a family in your area that could use some help to take care of fall yard clean-up, basic repair or weatherization around their home. Buy the needed materials and get to work!

• Invite a neighbor’s family over for a simple, fun family game night.

 

GIVING TO THOSE IN NEED

Four generations of Detroiters have been a proud part of the American celebration of Thanksgiving. The relationship between Detroit and Thanksgiving dates back to 1934 when owner G.A. Richards scheduled a holiday contest between his first-year Lions and the Chicago Bears. Some 71 years later, fans throughout the State of Michigan have transformed an annual holiday event into the single greatest tradition in the history of American professional team sports. Indeed, if football is America’s Passion, Thanksgiving football is Detroit’s Passion.

IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE GAME, many of the Detroit Lions go to the Detroit Rescue Mission to serve a Thanksgiving dinner to over 1,000 homeless people that come in from the area around the mission.

So, in an effort to give back and show our gratitude for the business you have given us, WE WILL DONATE A COMPLETE THANKSGIVING DINNER, IN YOUR NAME, to the Detroit Rescue Mission.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW, and a 'pre-filled' e-mail will come up:

CLICK HERE TO GIVE US YOUR INFO

NOTE: If the above link doesn't work for you,
just create a new e-mail addressed to us at [email protected]
and put your name, company name, and address into the body of the e-mail.
Then send it to us—we'll do the rest!

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