AN AMERICAN THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving display created by a Russian Evangelical Christian Church in the U.S.

I was taught that the First Thanksgiving to thank God for His provision in America was celebrated by the Pilgrims.  The Native Americans in the area were invited to join them and they did.  Wikipedia says this, "In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is traced to a sparsely documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts, and also to a well recorded 1619 event in Virginia. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest."

My family made a big deal of Thanksgiving while I was growing up in Virginia. Because we were at least 3000 miles away from our relatives in Washington State,  Alaska, and California,  we would invite other families who didn't have relatives in the area to join us.  One year we rented a hunting lodge.  Another year we had our meal in the basement recreation room of our house on Belleview Blvd.  I haven't found any pictures of our celebrations in those years but I have found more recent pictures.

1992 Redwood City

1995 Seattle

San Carlos 1996

Califronia 1997

Lake Forest Park 1999

Redmond 2005

Redmond

Chelan

Lynnwood

California 2015

California

Carnation

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  We get to see loved ones, we have good food, we might even sing some hymns (We Gather Together To Ask The Lord's Blessing), and we don't have to shop for presents!

From Wallbuilders: