Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. ~W.J. Cameron
Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. ~W.J. Cameron
I’m going to say it, Thanksgiving is the best holiday. For starters, it is a day dedicated to a successful and mutual relationship between diverse parties. It is a day that revolves around food, with no judgment for the amount that you eat. It is a day of entertainment, from the Macy’s Day Parade, Kennel Club Dog Show, Football, to “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”, the day is jam packed with feel good television to watch. At the core of it all, Thanksgiving is all about being thankful. It’s one of the more “pure” holidays. It is not a polarizing holiday politically or religiously, it is hardly consumer-ized (barring the next day, which is encroaching on Thanksgiving), and it is one that can and should be celebrated by all, regardless of nationality, religion, or gender.
It all began in September of 1620 when, after years of religious persecution, a group of people decided to sail away from England to the new world. Together, 102 people vying for tolerance and prosperity sailed the ocean blue for 66 days before finally dropping anchor near the tip of Cape Cod. These people, now commonly known as the pilgrims, established the village of Plymouth. However, that first winter, the majority of the pilgrims remained onboard their ship, suffering from exposure, contagious disease, and scurvy. Only half of the pilgrims survived. Had it not been for a Pawtuxet Indian, Squanto, and Samoset, an Abenaki Indian, none of the pilgrims would have survived. Both men spoke English and began to teach the pilgrims how to cultivate corn, extract sap from the maple trees around them, catch fish, and avoid poisonous plants. In November 1621, after the pilgrim’s first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited the Native Americans that made it possible, including Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag tribe. Through the influence of Squanto, the pilgrims forged an alliance with the Wampanoag tribe, which would endure for more than 30 years.
While our history is far from clean, Thanksgiving is one holiday born from an event in history of friendship and companionship. It exemplifies the true meaning of the holiday, to look at everything in our lives and be thankful; to stop being cynical and greedy, to put aside our differences, and to recognize all of the good in our lives. It’s a day to thank God, ourselves, fate, karma, our families, our friends, anything and anyone you believe in, because life never happens alone. We never find ourselves where we are in our lives without a little bit of help from someone. On that vein, thankfulness and appreciation are feelings that rely on a scale of relativity. Thanksgiving resets that scale and reminds all of us to be thankful for everything.
Thanksgiving is a day of reflection, a day of family, a day of ridiculous amounts of delicious food, a day of endless entertainment, a day to sit back and breathe before the craziness of the December holiday season. It’s a day to say “I love you,” “I appreciate you,” and “Thank you” as much as possible. It’s a day to give to those who may not be as fortunate as you, or a day to give back to those that give up so much.
We, at Curcio Law are thankful for you, our family, our friends, our clients, and each other. We’re thankful to be so fortunate in serving our community for the past 32 years. We’re thankful for our freedoms, thankful for our opportunities, and thankful to be Americans.
We wish you a happy and safe holiday. In the wise words of Marcy from “Charlie Brown” here is the perfect quote to sum up the holiday:
“But Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by ‘Thanksgiving.’”
Curcio Law will be closed Thursday, November 26th until Monday, November 30th.
