Today is the American Thanksgiving Day. In Canada, we have our Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday, in October. It became an annual, with the dates varying back then. It was proclaimed to be on the second Monday in October in 1957, and the day was to celebrate “…the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed”.

The American Thanksgiving Day also revolves around giving thanks for harvests. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November and has been celebrated, nationally, off and on since 1789. In 1870, President Grant appointed it as a yearly declared annual holiday.

American Thanksgiving revolves around turkey and football. Football was initial played by colleges on this day. The fledgling NFL started playing Thanksgiving Day games in the 1920’s to attract fans. At one time, the NFL had six games played on this day. The Detroit Lions started holding an annual Thanksgiving Day game in the 1930’s. The Dallas Cowboys began the same tradition in the 1960’s. Other teams wanting to be in the action, as well, caused the NFL to have a prime time game, starting a few years back. During my working life I had a 24 ailment every American Thanksgiving Day. Just coincidence. Though I thgink my bosses caught on.

Having a condo in Arizona, there were times that I would be able to celebrate two Thanksgivings. The first one in Canada with family and then the second one in the States, with friends. At those times that we were already in Arizona, in early October, we would celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with our Canadian snowbird friends down there.

Thanksgiving has always been joyous for me. At times, more so than Christmas. My most memorable Thanksgiving was at my daughter’s house in BC two years ago. This was at the height of COVID, and due to circumstances, was the last time we were able to celebrate as an entire family.

Every morning, when I get up, I check the net, on my phone, including looking at my favourite comics. One of my favourites is Pearls Before Swine. Today’s comic was about Pig, unable to sleep. He was full of anxiety because,

“There are 450,000,000 turkeys in the world, what if they all turned on us?”

Have a good one.