Happy Thanksgiving

Mmmmm...I can smell that turkey and almost taste that pumpkin pie now .... Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I have a lot to be thankful for ... (see previous posts): an incredible and supportive family, my loving husband and cherished son; a warm and welcoming community where I reside, engaging and kind friends and a wonderful blogging community that has become a real "home" for me complete with warm and sincere friends who have become so very close and dear to me (you know who you are!). So, I give thanks along with my neighbours to the south on this their day of thanks ... Thanksgiving Day.

For those of you not familiar with this celebration, Wikipedia gives a wonderful description. It goes like this: "Thanksgiving meals are traditionally family events where certain kinds of food are served. As is evidenced by the tremendous level of travel, significant effort is made by family members to gather for the Thanksgiving celebration. Family participation is notably inclusive ranging from the very youngest to the most senior. First and foremost, turkey is the featured item in most Thanksgiving feasts (so much so that Thanksgiving is sometimes facetiously referred to as "Turkey Day"). Stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, turnips, rolls, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner, although it was quite probable that many of these culinary items did not feature in the first Thanksgiving in 1621.[2]. Often guests bring food items or help with cooking in the kitchen as part of a communal meal."

According to Wikipedia, "Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American holiday to give thanks for the things that one has at the conclusion of the harvest season. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada."

The earliest Thanksgiving events were held in the British Colonies, at present day Berkeley Plantation in Virginia in 1619 and at Plymouth in present day Massachusetts in 1621.