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Let us remember the past

By Mark Harrison
The Times-Journal

Published November 24, 2009

This Thursday is a very special day for several reasons.

It’s the day the Dallas Cowboys try to go 8-3 against the Oakland Raiders. It’s also Iron Bowl Eve. Yes, it’s that magical evening when all the little Alabama fans turn in especially early, with dreams of the Heisman dancing in their heads, waiting for a St. Nick Saban to slide down the chimney and fill stockings with season tickets to next year’s games.

And, lest we forget, it’s also Thanksgiving – an annual tradition in these United States since 1863, and a federal holiday since 1941. Believe it or not, the first Thanksgiving didn’t have anything to do with football – no, it actually grows from two events – one in 1619 and another in 1621 – and, it’s the later date that we generally regard today as the “first Thanksgiving.”

Foods that day were a bit different from the traditional Thanksgiving feast we know today – turkey probably wasn’t even on the menu, and cranberries hadn’t even been introduced yet. The menu instead likely consisted of thinks like fish, lobster, and clams. It’s almost possible to envision a collection of Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing food and fellowship after pushing the tables together at the Plymouth Plantation Red Lobster. Unfortunately, there were no tasty cheesy garlic biscuits as, due to a diminishing supply of flour, there was no bread.

And, although there weren’t any microwaves back then to heat up the leftovers, the first Thanksgiving festival did last for about three days. Fortunately, we do have those wonderful nuclear devices today to carry us and our gobs of leftover turkey through those post-Thanksgiving days of feasting and football.

Thanksgiving Day football, by the way, was once a widely observed tradition amongst high schools and colleges. It’s since faded away, with the notable exception of the Thursday afternoon NFL games, a tradition that stretches back to the 1920s.

The first American Thanksgiving Day parade also dates back to 1920 – and was organized by Gimbel’s Department Store in Philadelphia, not Macy’s. The New York City Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924. It is now a much-anticipated annual event, both in NYC and by way of television broadcasts in living rooms across the country. Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without watching that gigantic likeness of Garfield come floating through Times Square.

Then, of course, there’s the most important Thanksgiving tradition of all – giving thanks. This one goes all the way back to that first Thanksgiving and probably beyond, and while we might not be offering up thanks for surviving a brutal winter, there are surely many other things we can all find for which to be thankful.

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