3 Themes of Thanksgiving to Apply Everyday
It’s that time of year when we pause to gather with family and friends in celebration of American Thanksgiving.
The holiday reminds us that it’s the perfect opportunity to make an effort to get together and graciously extend appreciation for the support and kindness offered by those within our circle. In fact, many families meet only once a year, on Thanksgiving, which provides an opportunity for family members to engage with each other in a meaningful and intentional way. We all enjoy a brief respite from work, then push through to wrap up Q4 and the calendar year, until we pause again to celebrate the religious holidays at year-end.
Thanksgiving, like most holidays, has been heavily commercialized. In so doing, the spirit of the holiday is often obscured. So this is also a good time to reflect on the original intent of the day.
Autumn 1861 marked the first American Thanksgiving which united nearly 100 Wampanoag Indians and more than 50 Pilgrims for a three-day feast that reportedly did not include turkey. The colonists of New England had long been practicing the custom of celebrating the harvest and other “thanksgivings” which were formal days of prayer dedicated to paying homage to God for military victories, relief from periods of drought and other catastrophic aversions.
Fast forward 200 years. After 17 years of extensive lobbying, the persistent efforts of Josepha Hale, the woman who penned the classic children's song, "Mary Had a Little Lamb," paid off. She finally convinced President Lincoln in 1863 to declare the day a national holiday. Ultimately, he proclaimed it as a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."
By the 20th Century, the spiritual essence of the holiday suffered some erosion. The NFL began its annual tradition of the Thanksgiving Classic in 1920, bringing the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys together on the field. President Truman began the annual tradition of pardoning a turkey back in 1947 where he released the first one, appropriately named "Courage." By 1953, turkeys had become the holiday staple on the American dinner table. At that time, Swanson had somehow amassed 260 tons of unused turkey and, in an effort not to waste it, they packaged it in aluminum trays with sweet potatoes and hence, ushered in TV dinners. In 1968, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong consumed foil packets of roasted turkey in gravy after walking on the moon.
Indeed, these factoids do suggest a departure from the spirit of the day. However, if you examine all these traditions more closely and look beyond their commercial gloss and the common thread of a turkey-based meal, three themes emerge. All three themes reflect the original spiritual essence of the holiday. These themes are thanks, union and intent. The only question is why we apply these themes only once per year when we should consider doing so on a daily basis.
It is up to each one of us to apply these three themes in an individual manner that makes the most sense for us personally given our faith, values and perspective. For me, this is a time that I choose to be highly vocal about how grateful I am to my family, friends, customers, peers, mentor groups, leadership team and staff. Thanksgiving is a time to formally announce my appreciation and give thanks in an honorable, intentional and audible way. For me, the holiday also marks the occasion to make an intentional effort to bring union and harmony to the table at home and at work.
Practicing gratitude is something that I do daily, although I do not do so publicly. However, this is the perfect opportunity to share a book, indeed a methodology and mindset, that has had a profound impact on my life. I highly recommend that you incorporate “The Five Minute Journal” into your daily routine. The guided steps are simple instructions to drive mindfulness and focus your efforts so that you live with intention. Beginning your day with a declaration of gratitude will positively affect your mood and productivity for the rest of the day.
I am grateful to all of you and give thanks for all my blessings. I sincerely wish everyone a wonderful holiday and encourage you all to apply the themes of thanks, union and intent in your own unique and personal way. Happy Thanksgiving!