Thanksgiving Family Traditions

Holidays are the perfect opportunity to stop for a while from your day to day continuum, get some rest and retrieve our lost joy. In addition to that, Thanksgiving is all about being grateful for the life you live. It is the focal point of the year for family and friends to attend reunions. But what is the true meaning of being thankful for family and friends?

Rituals have been with us even from the infancy of civilization. If we learn to look beyond local features, we will see that the main reason for holyday traditions to survive mostly untouched even in modern times is the fact that they evoke continuity and persistence. They are able to reassure communities that everything follows some well established rules and patterns, unchanged by the years that pass.

We all know that the turkey is the main dish for any Thanksgiving dinner table, but we can look deeper at this symbol. Eating together means we share resources and there is enough for everyone. Tracking this back to a higher level of organization, there is a place and a role to be played for each one of us inside human society. Rules should be set in such a manner that equal amounts of general abundance and well-being are available for every member. Sharing a family meal means we also share the company of our relatives and that we are open to exchange experiences gathered along the year. Storytelling has long been associated with extended meals and is able to bring everyone’s mind to focus on a common denominator.

            Outside activities that are able to put the blood in motion are a trademark of any Thanksgiving celebration. Either we are talking about playing baseball with your kids around the house, watching football on TV, or joining a charitable race in your hometown, it’s all about getting involved in something able to steer passion and unleash energy. Being one of the many others that watch or attend gives a feeling of affiliation to a broader group and gets you closer to understand the notion of humanity.

            There is something special about all those Thanksgiving parades, able to attract so many spectators on the street. Harboring traffic for each day of the year, the streets look somehow strange when flooded with people. An inexplicable joy and well-being is shared by everyone and you we feel accepted and welcomed at this full scale celebration. You are one of the thousands and you are able to witness the power of the masses.

            Last but not least, Thanksgiving is the symbol of gratitude towards a new land that grew to become a warming home for the early colonist. It is the renewed symbol of hope for a better future. And this better future was constructed trough peace and cooperation. The same way a family gathers around the dinner table, a nation gathers around a holyday that had survived over centuries. Again I will point out the importance of continuity. Each year’s holydays are showcasing that we live in a functional and evergreen community that is able to accumulate and preserve heritage and defend its identity. Holydays are there as reminders that everything around us is cyclical and therefore our life should be inscribed on the same coordinates. A day off from the usual is able to restart our system and bring new perspectives from which to gaze.

Scheduled somewhere at the end of November, Thanksgiving marks the start for the holiday season. With days growing shorter and colder, the warmth and comfort of a home is a very prized sight and family members share more time with each other. If Thanksgiving allowed us to be grateful for special persons around us, we can look ahead at a full month dedicated to gifts and surprises. As we come closer and closer to Christmas and The New Year, a certain change of attitude to the better can be felt around us. We all become better with those around us and learn to be more emphatic and altruistic.