Okay, readers. It’s time to get my Thanksgiving Blog Blitz rolling! I’m not only celebrating the Thanksgiving Holiday, but the recent sale of my fourth book! Yee-Haw! Eight Seconds is a novella and will be released in 2009 in one of the Ellora’s Cave, Flavors of Ecstasy anthologies. I’m not sure which volume yet, but I’ll keep you posted. Eight Seconds does take place in November and mentions Thanksgiving, so I’ll be blogging about it later in the week. Here we go!
Thanksgiving marks the official start of the holiday season, and since I love history, I’m starting the week with some Turkey Day Trivia. See how much you remember from history class.
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621.
But, it wasn’t declared an official holiday until 1789 by President George Washington.
Many states observed Thanksgiving, but not all, and on different days. President Abraham Lincoln, faced with the trials and tribulations of the Civil War, was looking for a way to unite the nation and gave his Thanksgiving proclamation in October 1863. Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November would be observed as a day of Thanksgiving.
During the midst of WWII, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, looking for a way to give a boost to the shopping season, moved the holiday to the third Thursday for the years 1939, 1940, and 1941. The idea didn’t go over so well and Congress passed a resolution in 1941 decreeing Thanksgiving would always fall on the fourth Thursday.
So, ever since then our nation has been setting aside a day for us to give thanks by indulging in way too much food, taking a nap, and watching football on a weekday afternoon. Sounds like a perfect day. Well, maybe. For most women it means even more stress, work in the kitchen, a house full of relatives, and a mountain of dishes. Oh, how many Thanksgivings my dear mom worked to put a magnificent meal on the table. Bless her. She did so in style by not only preparing mouth-watering food, but by adding touches of the Autumn season with candles and fall silks to decorate the house and table.
One of my fondest memories of Thanksgiving is of my mom and her festive holiday apron. She’d get up bright and early that morning and with the apron officially tied in place, she’d get that bird in the oven. For the day, whether it matched or not, that handsewn apron, with its horse and sleigh print, was a part of her outfit. And you know, that trusted, well-worn kitchen helper wouldn’t leave her waist until the last dish had been washed and put away that evening. Did she complain? Nope. She did it out of a profound love for her family. Seeing her hustle around the kitchen with that faded, old apron is one thing I will miss big time this year. What I wouldn’t give for one more day. Maybe it’s time for me to pull that apron out of the drawer and carry on the tradition. By golly, I think I’ll do that. For mom.
So, what fond memories do you have of Thanksgiving? I’d love to hear them. Remember, every time you post a comment to my blog this week, your name will go into the drawing for an autographed copy of Studs for Hire: Woman on Top! Good Luck!
