We in America have an established holiday dedicated to giving thanks to whomever or whatever we recognize as the power that has overseen our survival over the past year. We call it Thanksgiving. Our ancestors established the practice following the harvest of the growing season, and It has remained a major event. The exact date of the holiday was confusing until Congress passed House Joint Resolution (H.J. 41) on October 6, 1941. The resolution set the last Thursday in November as the official National Holiday in the USA and in its protectorates. Recognition that we need to be thankful for what we have has been the focus of every president since George Washington called for a National Day of Thanksgiving and prayer on November 28, 1789. That tradition continues today. 

The turkey has become the symbol of the holiday, and the explanations for that are varied and many. One of the earliest references to the turkey being the featured meat source derives from the writings of Sarah Joseph Hale, who wrote many stories of the celebration dinners shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in 1621. Because of her writings, she has been dubbed “Godmother of Thanksgiving.” It’s unknown if the turkey population puts out an alert that each of them is in danger of becoming a target of several hundred thousand chefs, butchers, cooks, and homemakers around the first of October. Those who track these things say an average of 1.4 million whole-bird turkeys are consumed in the USA on that one day. That doesn’t include all the frozen “TV” dinners that are consumed, either.

We all have our own memories of how we celebrated, or didn’t, on Thanksgiving. I came from a typical blue-collar family with just my dad as our provider. I happily remember a full dinner plate on that day, without fail, since Mom was a very resourceful cook. And, in line with tradition, turkey was the item that got the most attention. All the trimmings, including fresh pumpkin and mincemeat pie, always appeared. Sometimes ice cream was added to the after-dinner pleasures.

I remember my parents having some discussions over how the turkey should be cooked, leading up to the hour that the bird was placed in the oven. Mom always chose a 21-22 pounder and by the mid-1950s, Dad had purchased an electric roaster oven for over sixty dollars! Big money in those days. But when the big bird arrived, it had to be prepped and kept in the fridge for a day before the many hours of cooking and basting to follow. For several years, mom and dad sparred as to how she should roast the bird, particularly with what kind of wine Mom should baste the turkey. Mom usually relented and went with Dad’s choice. 

She would get up at about 2:00 am and put a butter rub on the turkey and do the stuffing, and place it in the roaster. It was so large that she had to take the inner liner out, insert the rack, and then put the liner back as the lid. Then it was just set and monitor the temperature and baste, baste, baste, for hours. Once it was done, gravy, and lots of it, had to be made. I got the job of stirring the gravy. It seemed like forever, and was closely supervised eagle-eyed mom who made sure there was not one lump in the gravy. Her method must have been correct because I find I still make the gravy that same way seventy years later.

The enjoyment of the meal was always primo. I can’t remember anyone who wasn’t a success. We did the typical “thanks” before we began, but the ceremonial carving was never a feature at our house. Mom did all of that in the kitchen and brought it to the dining room table. As I reached high school age and after, the house would be filled with married family members and their kids, crammed into the house with shoe horns. You had to walk around, kids playing/sleeping on the floor everywhere. We adults played many board games and enjoyed Thanksgiving Day from Noon until about 2:00 am on Friday. The lawfully aged ones enjoyed a sip of wine or a PBR while we underaged swigged Pepsi, TAB, or Dad’s Root Beer. Those days are the source of many happy memories. I hope you have as many as I have had. Happy Thanksgiving!