Have A Happy Thanksgiving and Win Some Yarn

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. ~Edward Sandford Martin

Harvest celebrations date back to ancient times – they occur on every continent – every country and culture has its traditions to mark the harvest or the change of seasons.

While presidents, beginning with Washington, marked a day as a day of thanksgiving, the regular observance of the day began with President Lincoln who proclaimed on October 3, 1863 the last Thursday in November to be a national holiday. At the time of his proclamation in the US, the Civil War was raging: the siege of Vicksburg, the horrific battle of Gettysburg and the Lawrence Massacre (to name just a few events) had all occurred earlier that year. The government instituted the first military draft and in response were the New York Draft Riots. Also in 1863, Arizona organized as a US territory and West Virginia became the 35th state.

During FDR’s presidency, in 1941, Congress declared Thanksgiving a federal holiday. By this time the UK and Europe were battling Hitler and his army. In 1941, Hitler’s troops continued to trample through countries, invading Yugoslavia, Greece, and the Soviet Union - the long siege of Leningrad had begun. The gas chambers at Auschwitz were put to use. Civilians in the UK had been rationing for a year and were enduring the Blitz. Ten days after Thanksgiving, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and we were at war in the Pacific. A few days later Germany declared war on the US and we were at war in the Atlantic and in Europe. In 1941, the USO was created, Bob Hope performed his first USO show, and Glenn Miller received the first gold record for Chattanooga Choo Choo. Cheerios (then called CheeriOats) was put on the market.

I found the historical context very interesting. Perhaps it is during such bleak times that our need to appreciate what we hold dear is greatest.

Since we’ve been together, DH and I have walked the tightrope of "with-whose-family-do-we-spend-which-holiday." One year, after sitting through two separate Thanksgiving dinners within the space of 5 hours, we decided we needed to try to divide the holidays between the families. It was difficult getting used to different traditions. One family is mesmerized by the football games, the other is not - depending on who is in attendance. We can't ever discuss whose mother makes the best pumpkin pie. (Mine.)

One year, early in our marriage, his family went around the table, each person mentioning things for which they were thankful. I was one of the last to speak and I was stuck. Everyone had already mentioned what I would have said – good health, a home, a loving spouse, a job, wonderful friends, pets. As I frantically thought, I realized that I needed to refrain from naming specific people because this is like an Oscar acceptance speech – if you forget anyone important, like your spouse or your mother-in-law, you’ll never live it down.

What I really wanted to include in my list would not have been appreciated by anyone other than my fellow knitters.

Addi Turbos.

Oooh, don't forget Lace Addi Turbos.

Handpainted yarns and independent dyers.

Alpaca.

Wool.

Cashmere.

Silk.

Any combination of these fibers.

People who are turning milk, soy, and bamboo into yarn.

My local yarn shops.

Well designed patterns.

A project that actually comes out to the same gauge as the gauge swatch.

That, considering what happened to the economy, I'm thankful I had the foresight to, erm...stock up, shall we say, on yarn.

Well, you get the idea. You and I both know this list could go on forever. Leave a comment by 11:59 p.m. (central standard time) on December 4th, sharing with us what you're thankful for. I will assign numbers to the comments and will have DH randomly draw one number. That person will get some yarn they will be very thankful for, indeed. Even if you live overseas and don't celebrate Thanksgiving - leave a comment anyway.

And if you happen to blurt out "Addi Turbos" in the middle of thanksgiving dinner, don't blame me.