The Real Events of Thanksgiving Should Be Taught on the Holiday

Here in the United States of America on the forth Thursday in November each year we, as a nation and as individual families, celebrate Thanksgiving. For most Americans we bring out our best dishes and have an enormous meal with turkey, dressing, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. Families gather together, we eat until we are stuffed, we play games and watch football, but why? Have we lost the true meaning behind the beginning our nation? We have our tradition but somehow we have lost them important meaning of the treacherous start of a nation. Like various other cultures that have a celebration of thanks the Jews have a Passover celebration with rich family meal inundated with tradition and meaning. They have not forgotten why they celebrate. The hardship that they endured and the pivotal point in the transformation of their freedom to a better life is vividly remembered with Passover each year and passed down from generation to generation. If we reincorporate the true story of thanksgiving into our celebrations, we should be able to ensure a change in ourselves and our families to come together and become a stronger nation.
Our not so humble beginning of a nation started with a voyage of the Mayflower in September of 1620. It carried 102 pilgrims and limited supplies to settle the new land and start colonies. Landing in the tip of Cape Cod in November where they faced one of the harshest winters in the new world. By the end of March, forty-five immigrants died due to disease, lack of food or poor shelter. (Wikipedia) It was a brutal beginning to lose half of the population in less than 5 months. The future looked grim until the help of the Wampanoag Indians. The chief saw mutual benefit from helping the newcomers survive. Th...

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...hankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that's what they mean by 'Thanksgiving,' Charlie Brown. (IMDb)
Finding focus and the true reason of Thanksgiving and other holiday celebrations can not only make them enjoyable but meaningful and magical.

Works Cited

IMDb. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - quotes. n.d. web page. 23 March 2014. .
Ryan, Matt. Top 5 Scenes From National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation [VIDEO]. 7 December 2013. video. 22 March 2014. .
Wikipedia. List of Mayflower passengers who died in the winter of 1620–21. n.d. webpage. 23 March 2014. .