Thanksgiving Dinner… 1 of America’s biggest and most
anticipated holidays and signifies the start of the holiday
season…
Here are some fun facts about Thanksgiving:
● The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 over a three day harvest festival. It included 50 Pilgrims, 90 Wampanoag Indians, and lasted three days. It is
believed by historians that only five women were present.

● Turkey wasn’t on the menu at the first Thanksgiving. Venison, duck, goose,
oysters, lobster, eel, and fish were likely served, alongside pumpkins and
cranberries (but not pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce!).

● Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday on October 3,
1863. Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman who wrote “Mary Had A Little Lamb,”
convinced Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday after writing letters for
17 years.

● The history of U.S. presidents pardoning turkeys is patchy. Harry Truman is often credited with being the first president to pardon a turkey, but that’s not quite true. He was the first to receive a ceremonial turkey from the National Turkey Federation – and he had it for dinner. John F. Kennedy was the first to let a
Thanksgiving turkey go, followed by Richard Nixon who sent his turkey to a
petting zoo. George H.W. Bush is the president who formalized the turkey
pardoning tradition in 1989.

● There are four towns in the United States named “Turkey.” They can be found in
Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina.

● The average number of calories consumed on Thanksgiving is 4,500.

Although I did not opt for a turkey meal myself the spirit of
Thanksgiving was present in our table and gave me the opportunity to
realize how lucky I am to have such great family and friends and be
thankful for everything and everyone in my life…