Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. It is a holiday traditionally modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people. The traditional fare typically includes turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin pie – although families have incorporated their own traditions and how the food is prepared differs across regions in the United States.

The Pilgrims went out “fowling” on the 1st Thanksgiving Day and brought home turkeys, geese and ducks. The Wampanoag made a surprise entrance at the settlement’s gate and contributed venison to the feast. Most people sat outside on the ground or on barrels. Guns were fired, races ran, and liquor consumed.

The New England colonies regularly celebrated days thanking God for blessings and advocated a national day of Thanksgiving. This was resisted by southern colonies as it was considered a New England custom and states did not want the federal government to create or mandate a national holiday.

On October 3, 1863, during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26. Every president after annually proclaimed the holiday until 1941 when a joint resolution by Congress designated the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.

From our families to yours, Elmhurst sends Thanksgiving greetings, wishing all of us some quiet time in the busy holidays to reflect on and give thanks for our blessings.

Elmhurst will be closed on November 23 to celebrate Thanksgiving.