By Dave Ongie, News Editor
Thanksgiving has been a federal holiday since 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln set aside the last Thursday in the month of November as a day for our nation to give thanks.
Between 1939 and 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the date of the holiday to the fourth Thursday of the month of November, which seems like a small detail in hindsight but ignited quite the brouhaha. It was probably not the first fight to take place on Thanksgiving, and those of us who have sat down with our assorted in-laws and outlaws to break bread on the holiday know full well it certainly wasn’t the last.
From a very young age, many of us developed similar expectations for the holiday. There would be a turkey, a lot of family members, a parade with giant balloons and eventually some football. And if you were good, there would likely be pie.
But in our modern world, it’s not always possible for extended families to gather in one location. Nowadays, the holiday can be marked by 5K races and even shopping or a trip to the movie theater. We asked our readers what some of their favorite Thanksgiving traditions are, and many of them took to Facebook to share their traditions with us.
However you plan to celebrate Thanksgiving, we here at the News & Neighbor hope you have a good one.
Sarah Means
“Driving around to look at Christmas lights Thanksgiving night. Always did it growing up, not sure if it’s something my parents started with us or if their parents did it too. It was always so much fun jumping in the car and driving around to look at the lights around neighborhoods. I plan to do the same with my son every year.”
Nancy McDonald
“My mom was a RN and always worked Thanksgiving Day, so we celebrated the day after. Once the meal and clean up was finished, we would pile up in cars and head to the bowling lanes. Fun times!”
Robin Sayers
“We eat garlic grits, then we run our own Leftovers Trot at a school track in the evening. (The run) started about three years ago.”
Desiree Raynor
“We go out of town (5 hours away) to have Thanksgiving Dinner with family, and we all help decorate my sister-in-law’s Christmas tree either after we eat or the next morning.”
