The First Thanksgiving

I remember a Thanksgiving seven years ago at my brother's apartment at which the discussion turned to the original feast in Massachusetts. None of the adults could completely recall all of the facts surrounding that day. I remember being amazed and mortified that to me, the holiday had become a day for eating turkey and watching football. I also realized that year that much of what I thought I knew was based on myth. Did you know:

• The original feast was a three-day celebration, not to celebrate a good harvest, and was most likely held in October.
• The meal most likely consisted of wild game, fish, oysters, berries, vegetables and fried bread. Many of the items we serve today were not served at that first celebration.
• Pilgrims wore black and white clothing only on Sundays and for formal occasions, and they did not have buckles on hats, belts and shoes . Nor did Eastern tribes wear full feather headdresses.

Since that Thanksgiving seven years ago, I have tried to portray the original celebration with a bit more accuracy in my choice of embellishments. More importantly, I have tried to incorporate the meaning behind that first Thanksgiving into my holiday and onto my scrapbook layouts. Here are a few ideas to help you get started with meaningful Thanksgiving pages, perhaps to mix in with the layouts about the football game and post-holiday shopping.

• Turkey- Turkey may or may not have been served at the original feast. Historians are certain that wild game was on the menu and so the turkey has become symbolic of the holiday. To add deeper meaning to your turkey, ask each guest to write something for which they are thankful on paper feathers. Those slips of paper may then be used on your layouts.

• Cornucopia - The cornucopia has become a symbol for sharing and signifies a good harvest. Build your own cornucopia for a table centerpiece, attaching to gourds and other vegetables notes that state the blessings you have harvested in your life. Take a close-up photograph of your centerpiece for a scrapbook layout.

• Native American Indians - The Wampanoag tribe brought most of the food to that first celebration. While you may not want to alter your traditional meal, consider adding one or two items that would have been brought to the table by the tribe. Make fried Indian bread; include the recipe and pictures in your scrapbook layouts.

• Food collection - One aspect of Thanksgiving involves gratitude for having enough food to eat, and a related aspect is sharing with others. As a matter of fact, the Thanksgiving cornucopia has become a symbol for sharing. Consider an annual tradition of shopping for others that may be less fortunate, or make a donation of time or money to a local soup kitchen. Journal about this aspect in your layouts; or take pictures of your children packing up food items.

• Friends and neighbors - Without their Indian neighbors, it is not certain that the colonists would have survived through winter. Use the holiday to document your relationships with neighbors and friends. Take a photo of each person for a layout or a tag in a tag book.

Thankful Layout:
stamps: Stampin' Up, Close to My Heart and Paper Salon.
paper: SEI
rub-ons: Autumn Leaves
staples
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