When I first encountered this 1907 Thanksgiving postcard, I thought it was a fanciful parade of turkeys. But the drawing is rooted in the reality of bringing turkeys to market.

My lack of knowledge about food sourcing was not and still is not that unusual. Growing up, the closest I came to any understanding of food sourcing came from watching Rawhide, a television series featuring stories around drovers bringing cattle herds up the Sedalia Trail from San Antonio to Sedalia, Missouri.

Turkey drives had a similar purpose: bringing turkeys to market.

By the early 19th century, turkeys were a common source of food. The birds hatched in the spring and were ready for slaughter in the fall. A single turkey could, with side dishes, feed an entire family, making turkeys an economical source of food on the farm. Some farms specialized in raising turkeys with one or more farms coming together to herd their turkeys to urban markets.

In the early 19^th century, drovers herded thousands of turkeys in flocks of 7,000-10,000 birds. Vermont turkeys walked to Boston; Kentucky and Tennessee turkeys traversed to Richmond, and some birds ambled between Missouri and Colorado.

The roads were bad, the journey long, and the birds didn’t always make the wisest choices. Before the turkeys set out on their journey, farmers took steps to protect their feet. Some marched them through tar and then sand to adhere protection onto their somewhat fragile feet.

On the march with the turkeys were drovers, a wagon with corn for the turkeys and supplies for the drovers, and older children who often scattered corn so the turkeys would stay on the pathway.

Flocks of turkeys walked about 1 mile an hour, and could cover about 10-12 miles before they stopped for the night. Hazards along the way included mountains the birds had to climb and bodies of water they had to cross, usually in the air. Drovers had to keep the birds from crowding together, so they didn’t trample each other. And the flock had to be kept calm in order to avoid a stampede. Drovers used long poles topped with a red cloth to keep the fowls on track.

If darkness fell at any point — be it cloud cover, a rain storm, a covered bridge, or the sun setting — turkeys flew up to settle down for the night and roost. Weighing about 20 pounds each, the turkeys clustered together, often breaking tree branches or collapsing roofs.

Once the turkeys arrived at their destination, they might be marched into the town marketplace, or in later times, directly to the slaughter house. Turkey season began at the end of October and continued into January.

The Life & Times of Sarah Good, Accused Witch

Available at Your Favorite On-Line Book Sellers

Illustrations & a Few Sources

Turkeys on a Road, 1907; Thanksgiving from Harpers Magazine 1858; Thanksgiving Card with Two Turkeys. Andy Wright. “Back When Your Thanksgiving Turkey Walked Hundreds of Miles to Market.” Atlas Obscura. Nov. 23, 2016.

The post Turkey Drives first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Thanksgiving, a national holiday embedded in American mythology, has changed over the years from an emblem of American history and unity to a day that includes eating, shopping, and watching televised football games and parades. Below are a few factoids of Thanksgivings past.

When I was a child, billboards advertising a certain brand of turkey popularized the picture on the left. Norman Rockwell’s rendition of a family Thanksgiving table was called Freedom From Want, and was one of four pictures depicting the Four Freedoms Americans fought for during World War II.

This idealized traditional Thanksgiving meal bore no resemblance to the so-called First Thanksgiving celebrated in Plymouth in 1621.

A Pilgrim Thanksgiving

Pilgrims and other New Englanders celebrated many days of thanksgiving. These were days of prayer thanking God for military victories, or a good harvest. Our enshrined Thanksgiving was a celebration survival that took place over three days some time between late September and mid-November 1621. About 52 settlers with major assistance from the Pokanoket Wampanoag people led by Ousmequin, survived the first year. Survivors included 22 men, four married women, and about 25 children and teens.

In preparation for the celebration, several Pilgrims went “fowling” to secure geese and ducks for the feast. The meal probably also included fish, eels, shellfish, and vegetables from Pilgrim gardens, including cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, leeks, lettuce, parsnips, pumpkins, and cranberries without sugar. Unexpectedly, about 90 Wampanoag made a surprise visit, contributed four or five deer, and joined the feast. This idealized feast of plenty and harmony became part of our American myth.

An annual official celebration of Thanksgiving was slow to become a national holiday. After 1798, Congress left the holiday up to individual states. Some objected that the day was a religious observance that should not be put to political use. Southern states saw the custom as specific to New England and declined to participate.

Sarah Josepha Hale’s Thanksgiving Campaign

In the early 19th century sectional tensions between northern and southern states increased. In an effort to encourage national unity, Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of the popular Godey’s Lady’s Book began a campaign for a national Thanksgiving Day. Though she didn’t specifically promote feasting, a chapter in her 1827 novel Northwood; or, A Tale of New England described a Thanksgiving dinner. Highlighted foods included roasted turkey placed at the head of the table; and well did it become its lordly station, sending forth the rich odour of its savoury stuffing. For dessert there was pumpkin pie which she described as an indispensable part of a good and true Yankee Thanksgiving. Thus did two “traditional” foods gain their place on traditional Thanksgiving tables.

In 1863, during the American civil war, President Lincoln proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving that would be observed on Thursday, November 26. Succeeding presidents continued the tradition of declaring the last Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Football ? ? ?

American Thanksgiving traditions solidified in the late 19th century. The first of these to take root was Thanksgiving College Football Games. On November 30, 1876 Yale and Princeton faced off on a field in Hoboken NJ. Yale defeated their rival 2-0 while fewer than 1000 fans watched.

In the late 19th century, football resembled rugby more than today’s game. There were group tackles and flying wedges among players wearing little or no head protection.

In 1880 when the venue shifted to Manhattan’s Polo Grounds, crowds began to grow. Ten thousand fans watched the game in 1881. Vendors sold souvenirs. Scalpers sold tickets that cost $1 for $5. Gamblers placed bets.

Football fans formed an unofficial parade as they traveled from Fifth Avenue hotels to the Polo Grounds where the games were played. In 1893, more than 50,000 fans attended the annual game.

Thanksgiving Parades

The first Thanksgiving Day Parade was in Philadelphia when Gimbel’s Department Store produced a parade with fifteen people and Santa Claus at the end.

Four years later, Macy’s employees organized Macy’s Christmas Parade with animals from the Central Park Zoo. More than 25,000 people attended the parade. The first balloon appeared in 1927 featuring Felix the Cat. Floats were introduced in 1968.

Green Bean Casserole

As ubiquitous on Thanksgiving menus as turkey and pumpkin pie, green bean casserole is worth a mention if only because it was invented in 1955 as a way for Campbell’s to sell more cream of mushroom soup. The recipe became a midwestern staple and is so popular that 40% of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup sales are at Thanksgiving.

? ? ?

Illustrations

Freedom From Want by Norman Rockwell.

First Thanksgiving by Jean Leon Jerome Ferris.

Sarah Josepha Hale by James Reid Lambdin.

1879 Yale-Princeton Game. Wood engraving from Harper’s Weekly.

Yale v. Princeton. 1896.

Otto Messmer’s Little Black Cat by Raoul Barre.

Green Bean Casserole by Rick Kimpel.

Sarah Josepha Hale, The Little Lady From NH Who Started Thanksgiving. New England Historical Society.

Christopher Curley. “How Thanksgiving Dinner Has Changed Over the Years.” Insider. Nov. 27, 2019.

Christopher Klein. “How The First Thanksgiving College Football Game Kicked Off a Holiday Tradition.” History. Nov. 19, 2021.

Sarah Pruitt. “Colonists at the First Thanksgiving Were Mostly Men Because Women Had Perished.” History. Aug. 9, 2023.

The post Thanksgivings Past first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

This is a blog about Thanksgiving, the quintessential American holiday. It is not about the First Thanksgiving, or the late 19th century Thanksgiving, or the 20th Century Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving.

This Thanksgiving story is about Thanksgiving in late 18^th and early 19^th century New England, specifically Salem, Massachusetts, the setting of my upcoming novel.

At the time, Thanksgiving was the most important holiday of the year, though there was no exact day for observance. In 1789, George Washington declared November 26 as the national day of Thanksgiving, but not every state followed suit.

The day began with a church service to thank God for the year’s bounteous blessings. But feast preparations began much earlier with both cleaning and cooking activities. Pies, for example, could be made far in advance and stored in unheated bedrooms or the attic where they froze. Uneaten Thanksgiving pies might not be consumed until April.

Since butchering generally occurred after the holiday, the menu emphasized fowl for the meat course. Accounts of the time talk about farmers coming into Salem from the country with wagons full of poultry or loads of wood. Vendors set up on each side of Essex Street from Central to Washington Streets.

The large family party began about 3:00 with well-spread tables and by 11:00 guests were on their way home.

Though turkey was often on the menu, many thought the small birds were a lot of work for not much meat. Chicken pies were far more popular as well as more economical.
Roasted root vegetables filled out the menu. As a special treat, vegetables served on Thanksgiving were peeled.
And for dessert — Plum Pudding
As far as liquid refreshment, hard apple cider was a popular choice.

To get an idea of traditional foods, consider these recipes from Elizabeth Cleland A New and Easy Method of Cookery, published in 1757.

Recipes

TO ROAST YOUNG TURKEYS.

Put in their bellies Forc’d-meat*, made of their livers, scalded Oisters, green Onions, Parsley, mince them all, Crumbs of Bread, Salt, Nutmeg and grated Lemon-peel; mix them all with a Piece of Butter, and a raw Egg: you may either lard them, or roll them Saves of Bacon, then paper and roast them; put Gravy in the Dish with them, and Bradsauce in a Sauce-boat made thus: Boil some Bread and Water, with a little white Gravy, an Onion stuffed with Cloves, a Blade of Mace, and a little Salt; boil it smooth; put in a good Lump of butter, then give it a Boil; take out the Onion before you send it to Table. You may roast Chicken the same Way.

*Forc’d-meat is a mixture of meat or vegetables chopped and seasoned to use as stuffing or garnish

TO MAKE A CHICKEN PIE

Scald your Chickens, and cut them in Quarters, wash them very clean; season them with Pepper, Salt, Cloves andMace; put them in your Dish with Forc’d-meat Balls, Yoks of hard Eggs, and Artichoke Bottoms. You may make it without this if you please; put a little Butter and Gravy. You may put Fruit in it, if you like it sweet, and make a Caudle for it as above. You may leave the Chickens whole if you please.

TO MAKE A PLUM PUDDING

Beat eight Eggs and half a pound of Flour, two Gills* of Milk, and half a Pound of Raisins shred, half a Pound of Currants washed and picked clean, half a Pound of Beef Sweet shred small, and mix all together; season it with Nutmeg, Ginger, Salt, and a Glass of Brandy. Two Hours boils it.

*One gill is four ounces of liquid.

Games

After the feast, guests retired for wine and games. One popular game was Hunt the Slipper. After naming one person as “It,” the players sat in circle with their feet drawn up and knees raised high enough so that a slipper could be passed hand-to-hand under each player’s knees. Meanwhile, the person who was “It” ran outside the circle trying to touch the person who had the slipper. If she or he succeeded, the two exchanged places and the game resumed.

? ? ?

Illustrations

Thanksgiving Postcard.

Ours to Fight For: Freedom From Want by Norman Rockwell.

Old Christmas 1916.

Wild Turkey.

Chicken Pie by Oddbodtz.

Plum Pudding  Attribution: Kolforn (Wikimedia).

Hunt the Slipper by Thomas Rowlandson.

Kinga Borondy. “How has the New England Thanksgiving Menu Changed?” Wicked Local. Nov. 18, 2021.

The post Thanksgiving in 18th Century Salem, Mass. first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Recent research for my current project has turned up a few interesting insights into how eighteenth century New Englanders celebrated Thanksgiving, which makes an interesting change for the annual stories about the first Thanksgiving in 1621.

Over a hundred years since the Pilgrims stepped ashore, colonial Americans did not worry about starvation or share the holiday with Native Americans who, by this time, had been largely banished to the western frontier. Salem and other towns on the Eastern Seaboard had different holiday traditions.

Thanksgiving was the most important holiday on the New England calendar, particularly since most people dismissed Christmas as a day of almost pagan excess. Thanksgiving occurred between late November and mid-December, after the harvest was in, but before annual butchering of animals. That labor-intensive event took place about a week after Thanksgiving. Consequently, various species of poultry took pride of place on the menu. 

Thanksgiving celebrations began with a church service, so people could express their gratitude for a successful year. In 1750 Calvinist churches in Salem still took a grim and fearful approach to God, but as the century moved on, a more intellectual Unitarian attitude affected the worship services.

Once church was over, people returned home to prepare for the holiday. Dinner was a family party with about thirty guests, and began at 3:00 in the afternoon. Usually there would be two full tables of food, plus a smaller table for the children. The menu sounds similar to our modern traditions, but the ingredients differed.

Wild turkeys, in particular, were much smaller than the turkeys available in our supermarkets. Male turkeys were about 16 pounds, and female about 9 pounds.

Dinner was served in two courses.

First Course Menu

The first course featured turkey which might be roasted or baked in a pie, as well as chicken pies. Side dishes included various seasonal vegetables, pickles, preserves, breads, honey, and cheese.

Second/Dessert Course Menu

The dessert course consisted primarily of fruit pies. Mincemeat and plum pudding were also served

After dinner, gentlemen enjoyed wine or other beverages while ladies retired to the drawing room.

Hunting the Slipper

After the guests reunited, there were various games, including Hunt the Slipper, a circle game in which one person is a customer and the others are the cobblers. The customer takes his slipper to a cobbler and asks him to repair it. The cobbler accepts the slipper. When the customer returns, the cobbler says the slipper is lost. Now the customer must try to find the slipper while players pass the slipper under their knees so the customer can’t see who has the slipper.

People went for after dinner strolls and called on their neighbors. Many hosts included hired musicians. the day might conclude with a cold super of leftovers from the earlier meal. Most people departed for home by 11:00.

Contemporary Recipes

As a sample of 18^th century cooking, I’ve included two recipes from the Compleat Housewife: or, Accomplish’d Gentlewoman’s Companion, published in 1758.

To Roast a Turkey

Take a quarter of a pound of lean veal, a little thyme, parsley, sweet marjoram, a spring of winter savory, a bit of lemon peel, one onion, a nutmeg-grated, a dram of mace, a little salt, and half a pound of butter.

Cut your herbs very small.

Pound your meat as small as possible and mix all together with three eggs and as much flour or bread as will make it of a proper consistence. Then fill the crop of your turkey with it, paper the breast and lay it down a good distance from the fire. An hour and quarter will roast, if not very large.

To Make a Chicken Pie

Take six small chickens; roll up a piece of butter in sweet spice & put into the chickens; season them; lay them in the pie with marrow of two bones and with fruit & preserves – prunella’s, damsons, gooseberries. Close the pie.

? ? ?

Illustrations

A Wild Turkey During Mating Season.

New England Thanksgiving Dinner in Falmouth, Maine 2005.

Female Wild Turkey by Judy Gallagher.

Hunt The Slippers by Thomas Rowlandson.

Open Hearth Cooking, Kent Plantation House by Billy Hathorn.

The post Thanksgiving in 18th Century New England first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Over the years, historians have shared stories about the multi-cultural harvest event that took place in Plymouth in 1621. The usual version is that when the Pilgrims arrived on Cape Cod, the Wampanoag People showed them how to plant corn, and that when the harvest came in, everyone celebrated. If you don’t look too closely, it’s a true story.

Using a popular search engine, I researched several versions of those events. First, it should be noted, the Pilgrims didn’t mean to land at what became Plymouth, Massachusetts. When they boarded the Mayflower, they expected to arrive in Northern Virginia, which extended as far north as the Hudson River where they hoped to land. However, after a rough crossing, the vessel made landfall at Cape Cod. Attempts to sail south were thwarted by rough seas, and after almost being shipwrecked, the Pilgrims turned back to Cape Cod.

The Pilgrims weren’t in very good shape when they came ashore. They thought the weather would be warmer, and that they would be arriving at an existing colony, so they weren’t well-prepared. In fact, they were out of food. The first Pilgrims came ashore on Dec. 16, 1620, searching for food. The armed company found deserted houses and burial sites which they broke open and ransacked. After two days, the men returned to their ship with 10 bushels of maize.

The site the Pilgrims selected a site for their new village was an abandoned Patuxet settlement, which meant the surrounding fields were ready for agriculture. Fresh water was readily available. The Pilgrims also had an eye for defense, so they named the site for the village Cole’s Hill, and a higher site for their cannon, Fort Hill. They called their new village itself Plimoth.

On Dec. 21^st, a landing party arrived to begin construction. As building progressed, twenty men stayed ashore to secure the village at night. Everyone else went back to the Mayflower. Women, children, and those who were ill never left the ship. At the end of Jan. 1621, settlers began unloading the Mayflower.

 Five years previously, the coastline was densely populated by the Wampanoag People who controlled the area. The Wampanoag traded with Europeans, exchanging beaver pelts they considered worthless for steel knives and axes, copper kettles, and colored glass. The Wampanoag then exchanged goods with people further west. The Wampanoag did not allow Europeans to remain ashore, and they didn’t allow the Narragansett or other peoples to participate directly in the trade.

But disease decimated the Wampanoag population to a point that made them vulnerable to pressure from the Narragansett. Allowing the Pilgrims to remain with a mutual protection agreement was a strategy that might restore the power balance.

Massasoit, the Wampanoag sachem, planned carefully. He had two men who could act as interpreters. One was Samoset, sachem for an allied group. The other was Tisquantum, whom the Pilgrims called Squanto. Massasoit thought Tisquantum might be unreliable, but he had better language skills than Samoset.

On March 17^th, Samoset walked into the Pilgrim village and began speaking English. The Pilgrims were astonished. Samoset spent the night, and left with presents. He returned the next day with five more men. More conversation took place.

On March 22^nd, Massasoit and his men hid from view while Samoset and Tisquantum walked into the village. By now, the Pilgrims were somewhat accustomed to these unannounced visits. After about an hour, Massasoit revealed himself and his warriors at the crest of a hill. The English were terrified and withdrew to Fort Hill. A standoff ensued.

Edward Winslow decided to take action. He put on full armor. Carrying a sword, he waded across a stream between the two groups and offered himself as a hostage. In response, Massasoit, Tisquantum and 20 men crossed the stream. Talks took place. Eventually, the Pilgrims, in the name of England, and the Wampanoag made a treaty for mutual protection. Tisquantum remained with the Pilgrims and taught them how to hunt and plant corn. 

During the ensuing months, the Pilgrims learned how to survive, and when the corn harvest came in, they celebrated. Winslow wrote: “Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others.”

But There’s a Twist to the Story

It’s always seemed a bit strange to me that the English invited the Wampanoag to a feast, but only the warriors attended. Here’s another description of the events. The Pilgrims, understandably, were delighted with their first successful harvest, and celebrated with great enthusiasm—shooting their guns and cannon was part of the fun.

When the Wampanoag heard shots fired, they didn’t know what was going on. Who were the English shooting at? Massasoit gathered 90 warriors and went to Plimoth on a fact-finding mission. The translator, possibly Tisquantum, explained it was a harvest celebration. The Wampanoag decided to camp nearby and make sure this was true. The warriors hunted and gathered food: deer, ducks, geese, and fish. The Wampanoag stayed three days, satisfied themselves nothing threatening was going on and went home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

???

Illustrations

Adult Male Wild Turkey by Frank Schulenburg

First Thanksgiving 1621 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall

Beaver by Greg Schechter

Samoset Speaks to Pilgrims

Edward Winslow

Indian Corn

Becky Little. “A Few Things You (Probably) Don’t Know About Thanksgiving.” National Geographic. Nov. 20, 2018.

Charles C Mann. “Native Intelligence.” Smithsonian Magazine. December 2005.

Gale Courey Toetsing. “The First Thanksgiving was a Fact Finding Party.” Indian Country Today. Nov 23, 2017.

The post The First Thanksgiving Feast first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Do you recognize this iconic Norman Rockwell picture? The artist created it in 1943 with the title Freedom from Want to illustrate one of Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms justifying American participation World War II. The illustration went on to represent the perfect American Thanksgiving Celebration. Three generations gather around the dinner table to enjoy a truly enormous turkey, and side dishes of celery, jellied cranberry sauce, and something in the covered dish.

Today’s story is not about turkeys or families. It’s about the dish of jellied cranberry sauce located next to the celery at the center of the table.

Cranberries are one of three American fruits grown commercially. [The other two are blueberries and Concord grapes.] When the Pilgrims arrived in America in 1620, the Wampanoag people had been harvesting what they called sasumuneash for hundreds of years. The fruit was eaten fresh, or dried to become nasampe, or mixed with dried meat and animal fat to produce pemican.

The Europeans were familiar with a similar plant they called craneberry, because it’s flower resembled the head of a Sandhill crane. I don’t see the resemblance, but see what you think.

The English plant grew in boggy areas of southern England; the American variety in bogs created when glaciers receded after the Ice Age.

Henry Hall, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, started the first commercial cranberry cultivation in Dennis, Massachusetts. Other families followed his example, and developed a business model. They either cultivated cranberries or harvested them, and then sold the berries to a middle man who sold them in urban areas like Boston or New York

Dry harvesting cranberries off the vine by hand is backbreaking work still in use for harvesting the whole berries sold in grocery stores. Only about 5 percent of the cranberry harvest is sold as fresh fruit, because cranberry season only runs from mid-September until mid-November, after which the vines are dormant until spring.

In 1910, Marcus L. Urann of Hanson, Massachusetts purchased a cranberry bog and realized he could use the new commercial canning industry to extend and expand cranberry sales. However, dry harvesting was too slow for his expansion plans.

The innovation of wet harvesting changed the business model. When cranberry bogs flood, the water loosens the berries from the vine. The fruit has four buoyant chambers allowing the fruit to float on the surface where it can easily be harvested.

In the 1930s, Urann persuaded his two major competitors, John C Makepeace of AD Makepeace Company and Elizabeth F. Lee of Cranberry Products Company to join with him in a cooperative to minimize price and volume instabilities. The cooperative, first known as Cranberry Canners, is the core of Ocean Spray which has now expanded to 700 families of cranberry growers in the United States, Canada, and Chile.

Alas, not every cranberry is perfect in shape. Enter the jellied cranberry log, introduced in 1912 and available nation wide in 1941. A convenient attribute of cranberry jelly is that the cranberry’s naturally occurring pectin allows the jelly to thicken and set in the can.

Ocean Spray sells 80 percent of its canned jellied cranberry sauce in Thanksgiving week. The company produces 70 million cans annually, each can containing 220 cranberries.

Today, Ocean Spray’s product line includes a variety of cranberry juices and craisen snacks as well as fresh and canned cranberry products. In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, Americans consume 20 percent of the fresh cranberry crop – 80 million pounds.

Cranberries, the small red fruits that grow in a bog, are an American staple either as a sauce at Thanksgiving or as a healthful juice.

If you want to virtually observe how cranberries move from the bog to the can, check out this 3-minute video from Ocean Spray.

???

Illustrations

Freedom From Want [The Thanksgiving Picture] 1943 by Norman Rockwell.

The Cranberry. Bradley Fertilizer Co.

Sandhill Crane in New Mexico by Cclehnen.

Cranberry Flower by Bernd Hayhold.

Gathering Cranberries Near Cape Cod, MA.

Wet Harvest at a NJ Cranberry Bog.

Ocean Spray Logo. Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.

Cranberry Sauce From a Can by Daniel Morrison.

Hil Bey Ramdene. “How Canned Cranberry Jelly Became a Thanksgiving Icon.” Kitchn. Nov 21, 2014.

K. Annabelle Smith. “This Man Made the First Canned Cranberry Sauce.” Smithsonian Magazine. Nov 27, 2013.

The post Cranberries — An American Fruit first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

At its most basic level, the holiday of Thanksgiving is about being grateful and eating a special meal. The menu generally includes a roast turkey, or tofu turkey. Pumpkin pie is a staple dessert choice, but far from the only one. The rest of the menu includes family favorites.

Once the meal is over, thoughts turn to other Thanksgiving weekend traditions: shopping and football. Both revolve around this festive holiday.

American football got its start in the late 19^th century. In 1876 college football teams at Yale and Princeton began an annual game, and played on Thanksgiving since most people had a day off from work. What could be more pleasant that a sumptuous feast followed by an open air activity?

But the tradition we have today started with the Detroit Lions. In 1934, team owner George A. Richards wasn’t getting fans into the stadium. His largest crowd was only 15,000. However, Mr. Richards also owned a large radio station, and was able to convince NBC to broadcast the game. The then undefeated Chicago Bears came to play. The Lions sold out their 26,000 seat stadium, and a tradition was born.

In 1966 the Dallas Cowboys began playing on Thanksgiving as a way to gain publicity, and now the NFL sponsors three games on Thanksgiving. This year the Chicago Bears will again meet the Detroit Lions; the Buffalo Bills will match up against the Dallas Cowboys, and the New Orleans Saints will go against the Atlanta Falcons.

Too much football? Not to worry. 

Thanksgiving weekend shopping is a time-honored tradition. Retailers once held off on their Christmas shopping push until after Thanksgiving. But, Thanksgiving was a moveable feast that informally occurred sometime in November, most often the last Thursday. If that Thursday coincided with the last day of November, the shopping season was a short one.

In 1939, Retail Dry Goods Association appealed to President Roosevelt to fix Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday, in order to guarantee at least four weeks of shopping. The President complied with a proclamation. Congress further fixed the date in 1941.

But wait. Retailers had another tradition up their marketing sleeves — Thanksgiving Day Parades. The famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade started in 1924 and utilized Macy’s employees. There were floats, live animals from the Central Park Zoo, and Santa in his sleigh. With attendance at 250,000, Macy’s knew it was an excellent marketing ploy and continued the tradition. In 1927 Macy’s introduced air-filled balloons to replace the live animals.

After World War II, American shoppers embraced what became known as Black Friday, a name that initially reflected traffic congestion in Philadelphia in the early 1950s. The Army-Navy Football game took place the Saturday after Thanksgiving, just as suburban shoppers, tourists, and shoplifters flooded the city. It was a “black” day for Philadelphia police.

Since 2005 Black Friday has been the businest shopping day of the year. Over time, retailers began opening their doors earlier and earlier. Once it was 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning, then 5:00 or 4:00. By 2011 stores opened at midnight. Then it was Thanksgiving Day itself. Publicized “door busters” led to long lines people waiting to get into the store first. Some people enjoy standing in line or “camping” on the pavement while waiting for the store to open. Others really want the enormous television, new computer, or other digital device enough to put up with the inconvenience. [Full disclosure: I participated once, but only once, to buy a desktop computer. The prize didn’t compensate for standing outside for four hours. Or was it six?]

For those who prefer to shop from the comfort of their computer screens, the National Retail Federation launched Cyber Monday in 2005.

Of course, now Black Friday shopping begins the day after Halloween. And if you want to get an extreme head start, there’s Amazon Prime Day in July.

If you decide to hit the mall or big box store, don’t forget to fortify yourself with holiday food. And with three football games on offer, you should be able to complete all three traditional Thanksgiving activities.

Whatever you do, have a Happy Thanksgiving.

A Very Large Turkey, 1900.

Thanksgiving Football Greetings, 1900.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, 2008 by tweber1

Greeting Card for Odd Fellows and Rebekas by Louieblakesarmiento

Sarah Pruitt. “What’s the Real History of Black Friday?” History. Nov. 20, 2018.

Ethan Trex.” A Brief History of Black Friday.” Mental Floss. Nov. 23, 2018.

Ethan Trex. “Why do Lions and Cowboys Always Play on Thanksgiving?” Mental Floss. Nov. 18, 2018.

The post Turkey, Football, & Shopping first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

To aid in your Thanksgiving preparations, I have modified a schedule I first heard in home economics class shortly after the pilgrims invented this annual feast. Are you ready?

T-DAY MINUS 5 and 4. The weekend before the Thanksgiving holiday, is behind us now. But this is what you should have done. Clean your kitchen. Heck, clean the entire house. While you’re at it, gather your pots, pans, and platters. If you don’t have enough un-chipped dishware, consider using paper plates. They’re quite sturdy and save on clean up. This is also a good time to make the cranberry sauce and acquire fresh vegetables. No, I don’t know why.

T-DAY MINUS 3. Today, Monday, do everything in the preceding paragraph, and start thawing the turkey. If you forgot to buy a turkey when you acquired the vegetables, drive all over town to find one. If you don’t have enough room in the refrigerator, clean out the left overs and shove in the turkey until you can close the door.

T-DAY MINUS 2. On Tuesday, make the pie dough, unless you bought a pie when you picked up what might have been the last frozen turkey in a fifteen mile radius. Shred bread for stuffing. Leave out so it’s nice and stale on T-Day.

T-DAY MINUS 1. On Wednesday, take out the veggies. Sigh over the wilted carrot tops. Peel, trim, chop. Store in zip lock bags. Wonder why you’re even bothering with veggies. Also a good time to pull the innards out of the bird and make the broth you’ll use for the gravy. Warning: This can be messy.

T-DAY. Get up early or no later than 10:00. Drink several cups of coffee. Take the turkey out of the refrigerator. Wash it. In our family Number Two Daughter likes to make the turkey dance. Grab turkey from Daughter and put it in the roasting pan.

Decide if you want to start roasting with the turkey upside down – a new method so the dark meat will be equally cooked with the white. After an hour or so, remember to turn the turkey right side up. If the turkey is over ten pounds, this could be tricky. Enlist aid.

A ten pound turkey should take less than three hours to roast at 425 degrees. It will take longer at a lower temperature, so decide which method you will use.

After maneuvering an upside down turkey into the oven – did I mention you should pre-heat? – prepare the potatoes. Wash, peel, slice. Put in water and back in fridge.

Set the table. If you are using a tablecloth, it is important to put the cat out first, or she will think pulling the edges is a great new game and she is the national champion.

Take a nap. You’ll be glad you did. Try to get up by 5:00.

Did you remember to reverse the turkey? Never mind.

Once the turkey is done, the fun begins. Take the turkey out of the oven. It needs to rest. I don’t know why, since you’ve been doing all the work. But you need the oven space to heat up the stuffing. Move the scene of action to the stovetop. Steam the potatoes and veggies. Make gravy. Stir, stir, stir. Turn down the heat before the potatoes boil over. Enlist an unsuspecting family member to mash the potatoes. Be sure the volunteer adds milk and butter. Keep stirring the gravy.

Put newspaper or other absorbent product underneath the cutting board. Wake up the turkey. Carve. Are you still stirring? Pour gravy into dish with ladle – the one that usually sits on the top shelf…in the back.

Move turkey slices to platter. Dump potatoes in bowl with big spoon. Drain now thoroughly steamed veggies and place in small bowl. Put everything on table. Don’t forget the cranberries that are now in the most inaccessible nook in the refrigerator. Stop crossing your eyes. Smile and put your napkin in your lap.

When it is your turn to say what you are thankful for, say you are glad you’re done cooking for another year.

Then say, how happy you are you have food to cook and a family to cook for, because really, that’s the point.

WISHING YOU AND YOURS A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Acknowledgements:

Featured Image: Thanksgiving Greetings by Frances Brudage. U.S. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Turkey drawing from antique postcard. c.1880. U.S. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

The post HOW TO ORGANIZE THANKSGIVING DINNER first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

At the end of the growing season, they had a good crop, and invited the Wampanoags to join them for several days of feasting on venison, goose, duck, turkey, fish, and (not surprisingly) cornbread.

While I’m sure the Pilgrims were grateful, they didn’t call the event Thanksgiving. And they didn’t hold the event in 1622. Perhaps the harvest was less abundant, or they just didn’t feel like celebrating.

The First Recorded Day of Thanksgiving

The next year, however, the Pilgrims knew more settlers and supplies were on the way. And they were truly thankful. So much so that Governor Bradford issued a proclamation

     Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, squashes and garden vegetables, and made the forest to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and

     Inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from the pestilence and granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience,

     Now I, your magistrate do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of nine and twelve in the daytime on Thursday, November ye 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three, and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Plymouth Rock, there to listen to ye Pastor and render Thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all his blessings.

Even so, Thanksgiving didn’t have a place on the Calendar of Official Celebrations.

Thanksgiving as a Legal Holiday

In 1863 President Lincoln issued a proclamation setting Thanksgiving as a commemorative day on the last Thursday of November. As they digested their meals, Americans began to realize it was time to prepare for Christmas. In 1939, the last day of November fell on the exact last Thursday of the month. Disaster! Fewer shopping days could slow economic recovery.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the rescue. A new proclamation moved Thanksgiving to the second to last Thursday in November. Not a complete success. Thirty-two states accepted Roosevelt’s opinion; sixteen states didn’t. Congress stepped in. Thank goodness!

On October 6, 1941, the House passed a joint resolution declaring the last Thursday of November to be Thanksgiving. The Senate amended the resolution to make the holiday the fourth Thursday, since sometimes November has five Thursdays. Who knew? The House went along, and President Roosevelt signed the bill into law on December 26, 1941 – which meant it would go into effect in 1942.

The U.S. entered World War II on December 8, 1941. In 1943 Norman Rockwell produced a series of four paintings depicting the Four Freedoms that defined the American war effort.

The above picture entitled Freedom From Want may be the most universally recognized symbol of Thanksgiving. Three generations gathered around a table with smiles on their faces.

At Grandma’s House

Americans like the concept of “Going Home” for Thanksgiving — a custom left over from a time when young families in growing cities could still go home to the family farm. Currier & Ives popularized the fantasy in a post card. And Lydia Marie Child, the famous feminist, presented a poem encapsulating the moment when she celebrated the day at her grandparents’ house.

Over the river and through the wood,
To Grandfather’s house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood;
Now Grandmother’s cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

Whether you’re traveling or hosting, eating turkey or tofu, have a wonderful day. And remember to give thanks.

Acknowledgements:

Featured Image: Three Women by Jennie August Brownscombe, 1914. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Lydia Marie Child. Over the River & Through the Wood. 1844

The post YE THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Today’s image shows what happens when holiday decorations crash into each other. This phenomenon often occurs at craft and card stores, where we’re sure to find Valentine’s decorations and cards on January 2. But such confusion is seldom on public display at my house.

Allow me to introduce my decorative characters in order of their appearance. First we have the Official Stuffed Black Halloween Cat, hat included. She was a purely impulse buy. In my defense she does have pink ears under the hat, not to mention the nose and the green eyes. File her under the category of “too cute to resist.”

Our actual black cat is not amused.

In past years, Halloween decorations consisted of previously mentioned black cat in witch hat, a decorated pumpkin and a few tasteful imitation leaves.

On November 1st, subtract cat and pumpkin before adding more tasteful imitation fall foliage and a couple kicking leaves while gathering a cornucopia of delights. You can see the faceless damsel on the far right. [Sidebar: I’ve never been big on cardboard turkeys.]

This system required getting out the boxes twice. So, this year I decided there was no reason not to let both holidays co-exist. After all, they share the same color scheme.

The thing is, once you let down the boundaries, anything can happen.

Da Handsome Bloke began getting into a festive spirit. First he launched the train set. Initially, the Polar Express circled its plywood, white-sheet covered track in complete seclusion. One couldn’t fault the engineer, if he imagined himself in the Swiss Alps. Then, while looking for something else, Da Handsome Bloke encountered the storage bin filled with our genuine nostalgic Christmas village. Ceramic buildings soon gave the train a destination.

Sensing weakness, the decorations laid plans to take over the house. Black cats, pilgrim damsels, a ghost village, and the engineers on the Polar Express train hatched a plan to unleash Christmas past with its artificial trees and grim faced nutcracker.

When I walked in the house last night, I saw it. The nutcracker gritted his teeth behind the cat, no doubt planning her removal. The miniature tree loomed over the cat’s hat. I’m sure it’s only a matter of days before lit reindeer appear on the back patio.

Acknowledgements:

Photos by Author. All Rights Reserved.

The post BLACK CATS & NUTCRACKERS first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

During this festive season Americans generally shop, eat, and drink too much – while contemplating the spiritual aspects of the season too little. But enough of human foibles. The real question is what this season means for turkeys. Carnivorous Americans generally serve turkey on Thanksgiving – not all of them actually eat any. And many also consume turkey on Christmas day. Hence the joke: “Why did the turkey cross the road? Because he wasn’t a chicken.” Ha Ha Ha. [I said it was a joke – I didn’t promise it would be funny.]

Let’s take a moment then to consider the Turkey fowl, officially meleagris gallopavo

The Wild Turkey, here depicted by John James Audubon, is native to North America, and played an important role in Native American cultures by providing meat, eggs, and feathers. Native Americans burned down portions of forest to coax turkeys into the resulting meadow. Here the birds were easily hunted.

I bet you thought I was going to start talking about Pilgrims. But no. I’m going to talk about Domestic Turkeys. These are the ones we feast upon. Their family tree begins with the Wild Turkey, which indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica developed into a new and improved species. The Spanish took this domesticated turkey to Europe. At this point you might wonder why the bird is call a ‘turkey’. One source says that ships traveling to England from the Levant (Turkey) via Spain brought the new food. – an instant hit, by the way. So the English called the bird a turkey.

Next thing you know, the English send domestic turkeys with the colonists setting up Jamestown in 1607. The Pilgrims don’t found Plymouth until 1620. So it is possible that, when they ate at all, the Jamestown colonists ate Domestic Turkey while the Pilgrims ate Wild Turkey. And neither bird looked like the meaty versions we see today.

But a turkey is more than a food source. Writing to his daughter in 1782, no less a personage than Benjamin Franklin regretted that Congress had chosen the eagle as the national symbol. Franklin did not think much of the eagle, but waxed poetic in his praise of the turkey.

“For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America,” Franklin said.“He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.”

Perhaps it is this indigenous nobility that has made the turkey a symbol of our collective national meal. On Thanksgiving, vegetarians often arrange tofu to resemble roasted turkey.

Whatever your menu … Wherever you eat … Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Featured photo: “Wild Turkey” by John James Audubon (1785-1851). Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons

The post A DANGEROUS SEASON FOR TURKEYS first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

How did Black Friday become a national event?  Why do we put ourselves through this annual ritual?  We can shop any day, any time.  This is America, after all – it is our sacred right to shop 24/7.  So, what makes Black Friday special?  Why do we crawl out of bed at 4:00 a. m. so we can be in line for a door-buster special?  Because it sort of feels like a tail gate party?

Nah!  It’s because we give gifts in December.  You knew that!  A gift at any other time is not as special – we can’t compare our stack of lovely presents with the stacks enjoyed by other people.  When I was a child, my mother said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  No child and very few adults actually believe that.  So, how did our present gifting frenzy begin?

Once upon a time, some people celebrated Christmas by giving gifts.  Depending on one’s social standing, the gift could be a beautiful emerald ring, a bag of gold, or an orange.  Orange?  Yeah.  Oranges were rare and wondrous things.  Children might receive a small toy made out of wood, or a doll lovingly assembled.

Fast forward a few hundred years.  People began to shop at department stores – stores so large children and even grown-ups got lost.  Department store owners like Mr. Bergdorf and Mr. Goodman loved Christmas, and told people that if they valued their family and friends, they would buy them presents, and wrap them in bright paper.  They told parents that Santa Claus was real, and if they loved their children, they would buy them so many presents the children would have tantrums of joy before collapsing with exhaustion.

Holiday shopping started after a quaint celebration called Thanksgiving.  Americans said their prayers on Thursday.  The next day they hit the stores.  Americans shopped and shopped and shopped.  They bought presents for everyone – the milkman, the hairdresser, the neighbors, their children’s classmates.  Storeowners rubbed their hands in glee.  It was the magical time of year when they made pots of money.

Alas, all was not well in Retail Land, because Thanksgiving was on the last Thursday in November.  In 1939, this left only 24 days before Christmas.  Compassionate businessmen begged President Franklin D. Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday.  Calendar makers were aghast!  They had already printed calendars for the next two years.  Federal and state celebrations conflicted.  Retailers lobbied.  Finally, on December 26, 1941, Congress passed a law making Thanksgiving the fourth Saturday of November. (Note: This was after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  You might think Congress had more important issues to consider.)

Starting today, you have 24 shopping days left before Christmas.

The post Thanksgiving & Holiday Shopping — Two American Traditions first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.