American Thanksgiving

Food. Football. Family. The one thing I’ve heard repeated about Americans and Thanksgiving is that they do it big. Flights are booked at any expense. Students get a week off compared to Canada’s long weekend. It is almost unheard of to not return home to break bread.

 

But why all the hype? I sat down at my own Thanksgiving this year and tried to evaluate. At first glance, it seems like just another consumer holiday too close to Black Friday to be seen as a genuine day of thanks. The date being less than a month before Christmas comes off as overkill. 

 

In Boston where my Thanksgiving was held, we are long past the harvest that this holiday is supposedly centered around. The other origins were taught to me as “when Native Americans showed the Pilgrims how to plant and months later enjoyed a meal together”. As this glosses over the more accurate history of genocide, even history becomes falsified. 

 

But Americans continue to hold onto this meal and its specific content with vigor. Turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, yams, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, cranberry sauce, and rolls are the unmissable attendees to every Thanksgiving table. Cooking these dishes right takes time and effort and often a combination of hands. 

 

 

My sister’s fiancé, Joseph Pierandozzi, did the brunt of the work this year since dinner was hosted at his house.

“It’s a lot of food..and it’s a lot of different food that all has to be ready at pretty much the same time…but it’s fun… I like cooking that kind of stuff.” 

 

But once the work is done the feast can begin. At first, there is silence from full mouths. Then in between bites of food, there are compliments to the cook. Soon seconds and thirds are dolled out and conversations continue. Grandparents reminisce on earlier years. Cousins exchange news of graduations and promotions.

 

My own mother, Wendy Smith, had this to say about her memories from Thanksgivings past.

“When I was a kid all our family would come to our house for Thanksgiving and it was really fun…there would be a lot of us…and I’d love to smell the turkey cooking and watch the Macy’s Day Parade.”

 

It can look to the outside a gluttonous day with a fake history and at the surface level, this may be true. But when you are sitting at the table enjoying food with family and friends, this holiday is something to be thankful for.