Thanksgiving

[Tyria]

Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions that you follow?

Also, do you have any stories about your best/worst/funniest/memorable Thanksgiving?

 

[ckm]

We don't normally celebrate Thanksgiving in Ireland. One year my sister, my mother and I had dinner at an American couple's house with their friends which was for Thanksgiving I think.

As far as I know my birthday is on Thanksgiving this year. Thursday?

 

[Ashenstar]

I haven't celebrated Thanksgiving since I was about 6. The only thing I remember is adoring candied yams. Mmmm

Perhaps some day I will pick up the tradition. I do love feeding people and I do think those who consider me to be close to them would appreciate the gesture.

 

[Darby]

no particular traditions I can remember.

and one memorable moment, was a few years ago, when we had come back from my aunts house, and my parents thought we were asleep or something, and I remember my mom yelling at my stepdad about how he was probably going to get fired for being late to thanksgiving because he was smoking weed with his uncle in the back of his truck

EDIT: if you didn't realize, he would get fired because of random drug screenings that his work did, not because he was late for dinner with his family

 

[Agent Intellect]

I spend the day mourning the death of Metacomet and the rest of the Wampanoag tribe - not to mention the subsequent genocide of millions more native people following the 1620's.

 

[tashi]

I spend the day mourning the death of Metacomet and the rest of the Wampanoag tribe - not to mention the subsequent genocide of millions more native people following the 1620's.

Yes, it's shocking to me how quickly and willingly people forget what followed the first Thanksgiving...

 

[Toad]

I spend the day mourning the death of Metacomet and the rest of the Wampanoag tribe - not to mention the subsequent genocide of millions more native people following the 1620's.

So how do you mourn them? Do you fast? Or do volunteer work? Donate to Native American organizations? Maybe go to an Indian reservation and do some gambling?

 

[Agent Intellect]

So how do you mourn them? Do you fast? Or do volunteer work? Donate to Native American organizations? Maybe go to an Indian reservation and do some gambling?

In all honesty, mainly just disillusioning people around me by reminding them that they're celebrating a day that marked the beginning of a genocide on the scale of the holocaust. But, of course, time makes people forget - 200 years from now people might be celebrating Hitler Day and when someone points out what it is they'll laugh it off and say "were not celebrating Hitler, we're just having a little Hitler day party."

So, to answer your question, not a whole hell of a lot.

 

[Toad]

Dammit, I kind of meant that post to be condescending...but now I feel bad. So, I'm sorry...

 

[Agent Intellect]

Dammit, I kind of meant that post to be condescending...but now I feel bad. So, I'm sorry...

I don't know if I'll be able to cope with the pain.

 

[Toad]

Thanks for making me feel less guilty. My F function was getting the better of me there for a sec.

 

[Nicholas A. A. E.]

Guys! You keep forgetting no one here has any feelings. What is up with you all?

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

Celebrate with family! By eating lots of delicious food, drinking wine, and making fun of your relatives!

(I'm sitting in front because I was the only person who could figure out how to make the camera take a picture on a timer, so I had to run over.)
The other people are my parents, my Morfar, my aunt & uncle, my cousins, my cousin's wife, and my cousin's wife's parents.

 

[Cavallier]

I prefer Thanksgiving to Christmas or any other winter holiday...other than Yule perhaps.

Anyway, genocide aside I really love this holiday. Personally I don't celebrate the holiday in order to venerate the pilgrims and puritans (Not actually the same people <---Something a lot of people don't realize.) They were nut jobs and I stand by that statement 100%. However, I don't really feel the need to bring people down by pointing out all the unfortunate things that came out of our founding fathers landing on the east coast of this country. For me it's about family and food. Okay, so mostly it's about how much fun I get out of cooking and eating delicious food while getting drunk and having a good time with my friends. It's also a good time to stop and take a moment to realize that my life really isn't so bad. It's a good time to reassess and stop being so self-centered. It's a good time to be thankful frankly.

The holiday I want to transform is Christmas! Why can't Christmas be more about making a wonderful feast and making presents for each other that means so much more than the cheap piece of crap you buy for people every year? I've been advocating a more Yule like holiday for years now.

 

[Tyria]

AI's post got me thinking how many other holidays could have some sort of darker past behind them.

On topic: being with family. That's what all of the holidays are about.

 

[Toad]

Your family looks really nice RT. I'm jealous and happy for you.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

Usually Thanksgiving is absolutely terrible for me, but this year was actually really fun. I celebrated with my Sister's new family rather than my own, which is probably the reason. Plus Rockband just makes for good times. :P

The worst holiday/horrific cultural phenomenon: Black Friday. Every year without fail I get dragged into the teeming unwashed masses of overexcited shoppers, despite my desperate protest.

Who else here despises Black Friday? Pure consumerism at it's worst.

edit:
Random fact: Two people died last year in my town from being crushed shoppers. -_-

 

[Deleted member 1424]

"According to Reuters, in 2007 135 million people participated in the Black Friday shopping rush, more than turned out to vote in the 2008 United States presidential election, which recorded the largest voter turn out in history."

I hate America.

 

[Wish]

"According to Reuters, in 2007 135 million people participated in the Black Friday shopping rush, more than turned out to vote in the 2008 United States presidential election, which recorded the largest voter turn out in history."

I hate America.

Hey are you just gonna sit there and gripe, or are you gonna buy something?

 

[Nicholas A. A. E.]

I didn't buy anything on Black Friday. woot?

 

[Darby]

I forgot and bought a coffee and donuts at am/pm...

 

[WoodsWoman]

Holiday: An excuse for my family to hang out in the same place, eat lots of food and talk, and talk and talk. The food is secondary. Yeah, we're close, but don't live close enough geographically to be able to do this very often so holidays are a great excuse...

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

I never shop on black friday. Thank God for online shopping, I used to wait until the last few days to get anything and I always picked really lousy crap. I never ever know what to get people.

This Thanksgiving I stayed home and just made myself a nice dinner. I managed to get out of having to go home by promising to help out at the BIG Christmas party next week so I'll go home then.