thanksgiving greetings

On the fourth Thursday in November, Americans sit down with loved to celebrate Thanksgiving. A day for expressing thanks for all of the wonderful things in our lives, like turkey, mashed potatoes, football, the Macys Day Parade, Grandmas secret stuffing recipe, oh, and our families. Thanksgiving is such an American holiday that prolific short-story writer O. Henry called it the one day that is purely American.

The Origin of Thanksgiving
The origin of Thanksgiving began in 1621 when American colonists in Plymouth, Massachusetts and the Wampanoag Indians shared the first Thanksgiving meal. Given some misnomers, we don't think the menu included today's traditional Thanksgiving meal favorites. Thanksgiving historians doubt that there was pumpkin pie (sugar and flour were not available) or mashed potatoes (the Europeans still considered the potato poisonous at this time). Original feast foods that might surprise you were fish, eel, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums. The original feast lasted three days and was based on traditional English harvest festivals that usually occurred in England around September 29th. It wasn't until two years later in 1623, after a horrible drought, that the actual "Thanksgiving" celebration occurred. It was called Thanksgiving because the drought finally came to an end after a period of intense praying by the colonists.

Thanksgiving Decoration Ideas
Thanksgiving decorations are a must for a festive tablescape. Whether you plan on sitting down at a folding table with your immediate family or in an expansive dining room with 50 of your closest friends, there is a way to create the perfect Thanksgiving look and feel. Show-off your Thanksgiving holiday spirit by adding some seasonal touches to your home for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving decoration ideas range from tables littered with fall foliage such as leaves and acorns to elegant flowers and personalized place settings. American Greeting printables are the perfect way to customize your Thanksgiving decorations at hardly any cost to you. Everything from Thanksgiving napkin holders and Thanksgiving placeholders for the table, to coloring sheets and funny hats for the kids (or goofy adults) are available! All of americangreetings.com's printables let you personalize projects with names, messages and art from our clip-art gallery or your personal photos. Learn more about a 30 D
ay Free Create & Print Trial Membership and start adding your creative touch to every holiday, especially Thanksgiving.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes
There are an estimated 5 million vegetarians in the United States and, yes, they love Thanksgiving too. Most of the traditional Thanksgiving foods can be tailored for the vegetarian or vegan diet and that includes turkey! Whether you omit the turkey from the meal while enjoying the same side dishes or you create a turkey out of tofu, Thanksgiving is a holiday that can be celebrated by all. While we're going to pass on the brussel sprouts, the "Three Sisters Stew" with squash, corn and beans sounds tasty! A variety of vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes have even become popular with non-vegetarians over the years. To keep track of all these new Thanksgiving recipes you may be getting this year, you can customize and print Thanksgiving recipe cards from American Greetings. For non-vegetarians, these Thanksgiving recipe cards also work for copying down the secrets to Grandma's turkey gravy and turkey stuffing as well.

Thanksgiving Travel
When you reach the destination of the buttery mash potatoes and perfectly cooked turkey, Thanksgiving is great. However, the journey to your thanksgiving feast can cause some headaches. Whether your Thanksgiving travel plans include driving or flying, be prepared. Read these Thanksgiving and holiday travel tips and check new airline restrictions to ensure you arrive at your Turkey Day destination in thankful spirits!

Thanksgiving Day Entertainment
More recent Thanksgiving Day traditions include college football, professional football and Thanksgiving Day parades. Die hard Thanksgiving Day football fans and watchers of the legendary Macy's Day parade agree that there are plenty of entertainment options on Thanksgiving. You can find information about the Macy's Day parade, including where to buy Macy's Day parade t-shirts and the parade route on NYCTourist.com. To be the star Thanksgiving host, create a master schedule of all the big games being played on Thanksgiving. The schedule should include the time, match, and channel. To fuel some friendly betting, also include the over/under from the local newspaper. Check out TVGuide.com for times and channels. Your only problem may be a battle between the sexes for ownership of the remote control.

After Thanksgiving Sales
Even after the Thanksgiving feast is over there is still one more thing most people look forward to (besides the leftovers): after Thanksgiving sales! The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday and is the busiest shopping day of the year. Black Friday originates from the shift to profitability during the holiday season. Retailers shifted from being unprofitable, or "in the red," to being profitable, or "in the black". Originally, accounting records were kept by hand and red indicated loss and black profit. Black Friday also signals the commencement of most consumers' holiday shopping. Stores open before the crack of dawn as parking lots fill with vehicles. Carloads of people emerge to take part in the tradition of day after Thanksgiving sales, long lines, and packed retail stores.