This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for Thanksgiving itself. The holiday is rapidly being crowded out as a holiday. It’s difficult to find anything that looks like pilgrims or turkeys in the stores. Halloween decorations are followed immediately by Christmas merchandise.
Still, while retailers attempt to squeeze more dollars out of the other holidays, I have no fear that Thanksgiving will maintain its spot as a day celebrated by families, with strong traditions, that cannot be squelched by early black Friday sales.
My favorite Thanksgiving tradition begins our feast every year. Before the turkey, cranberries and mashed potatoes are dished up; five kernels of corn are dished out.
For many years after the first Thanksgiving, Pilgrim parents place five kernels of corn on every plate. At one time, food was so scarce in Plymouth that each person was rationed to just five kernels of corn a day.
The kernels at my dinner table stand as a reminder to the sacrifice of those who settled this land. Each guest at the table is also invited to say five things they are Thankful for.
This stirs fond emotion as people express gratitude for family, country, education, and opportunity. Traditions create family bonds, and memories, that can never be replaced by “things” purchased at early black Friday sales. This is why Thanksgiving will live on even if it is sandwiched between America’s two favorite holidays.
Happy Thanksgiving!
