Thanksgiving is a quintessentially American holiday. Thanksgiving celebration is a blend of two traditions: the New England custom of rejoicing after a successful harvest, based on ancient English harvest festivals and the Puritan Thanksgiving, a solemn religious observance combining prayer and feasting.
It was Sarah Josepha Hale, the influential editor of the popular women's magazine 'Godey's Lady's Book' who began a campaign to reinstate the holiday after the model of the first Presidents. Finally, in 1863, she was able to convince President Lincoln that a national Thanksgiving might unite a war-torn country. He declared two national Thanksgiving days that year: one for the victory at Gettysburg, and the other for the last Thursday in November. In 1941, Congress responded by permanently establishing the holiday as the fourth Thursday in the month
Despite modern-age turmoil—and perhaps, even more so, because of it—gathering together in grateful appreciation for a Thanksgiving celebration with friends and family is a deeply meaningful and comforting annual ritual to most Americans. The need to connect with loved ones and to express our gratitude is at the heart of all this feasting, prayerful thanks, recreation, and nostalgia.
I personally love Thanksgiving. It has a lot of meaning. Christmas has become very commercialized and far too festive for a family gathering. But Thanksgiving is sacrosanct....it's family and close friends.