On that cold December morning in 1941, President Roosevelt put aside years of useless squabbling and set the date of Thanksgiving in this country as the fourth Thursday of November. Far be it for me to argue with the wisdom of a President of this country, but I have to disagree on this one point. Thanksgiving is first and foremost about thanks, but that thanks started and ended with thanks for a bountiful harvest (or in the case of the Pilgrims, much wheeling and dealing with the indigenous population). Why is it, then, that we are celebrating the harvest on a day that dawned clear and cold and exactly 0 degrees Fahrenheit? Our harvest did not occur in November. We have long since put up or eaten everything that came out of the ground, back in October.
I have to agree with the Canadians on this one. October is a much more realistic month to hold a harvest thanks holiday.
That being said, we will be making the most of this year’s Thanksgiving by accepting the gracious invitation of our friends and neighbors down the street. Much turkey and potatoes and green bean casserole will be had by all. I plan to spend the evening semi-comatose before the fire, watching Pumpkin Chunkin’ on the Science Channel, and furiously trying to finish a scarf I am making for someone very special to me (out of alpaca wool, no less). It’s hard to feel “farmerly” when the temperatures are below zero, the snow has a healthy frozen crust on it, and the chickens are bedded down in their fresh straw, their little bellies swelled with warm water and grain. Bring on the pumpkin decimation and imbibement of two days’ worth of calories.
I hope you and yours have a pleasant day. Eat more than you should, do less work than you usually do, and enjoy the simple things in life – friends, food, laughter, and a firm roof over your head, be it yours or someone else’s.
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