Several Thanksgiving Traditions

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pics are of my first cheesecake attempt... double-chocolate cheesecake, to be exact! I was very pleased with the outcome. I think it needed a topping. (The recipe calls for blueberries, but we're more of a "strawberry" family.) Since I do not need a double-chocolate cheesecake sitting in my house (next to a half-eaten pecan pie), I made a few deliveries last night. I kept a piece for Mikie and a couple for Josh. The rest went to a some chocolate-lovin' friends in the area.

ANNOUNCEMENT - If you are a Pioneer Woman fan, she is going to be on Throwdown with Bobby Flay tonight (8:00 Central). It should be a very good show. It's about food, so that's an automatic plus.

REMINDER - If you have a tradition, recipe or anything else regarding Thanksgiving you would like to share, feel free to leave the info in the Comment Section, on Facebook or e-mail me. I'll transfer the idea to the blog (and give you all the credit). You have until next Wednesday to share.

Wednesday Wisdom - In the past 24 hours, I have heard Billy Graham's name two different times. I thought he would be a perfect Wednesday Wisdom guest, and when I looked up some of his quotes, I found I was correct!

"A real Christian is a person who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip."

"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened."

"Give me five minutes with a person's checkbook, and I will tell you where their heart is."

"I've read the last page of the Bible. It's all going to turn out all right." (Ahhh. I love this!)

There were so many good quotes, I'll probably feature Rev. Graham again next week.

Several Thanksgiving Traditions

So many traditions... so little time.

Thanksgiving Gratitude Scrapbook - Make a small booklet or a mini scrapbook album. The title page should read "Five Things I Love About My Family and Friends." Keep it on the table during your Thanksgiving celebration. Each guest can come and record thoughts and insights.

Share a Funny Thanksgiving Story - "No Turkey Died - But... ." After the Thanksgiving blessing, but before everyone begins eating, take a minute to share a humorous Thanksgiving story or joke. This is one the kids will probably enjoy from David Letterman.

"When I was a kid in Indiana, we thought it would be fun to get a turkey a year ahead of time, and feed it and so on for the following Thanksgiving. But by the time Thanksgiving came around, we sort of thought of the turkey as a pet, so we ate the dog.

"Only kidding. It was the cat."

Top Ten Historical Thanksgiving Facts - Write down ten or more Fun Facts about Thanksgiving on slips of paper. Put the paper in a bowl, and during your Thanksgiving dinner, pass the bowl around the table. Have everyone pick a piece of paper to read aloud. It's an easy way to learn and/or remember how Thanksgiving originated.

1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in America.

2. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.

3. The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate Thanksgiving.

4. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621.

5. The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land.

6. The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, organized the first Thanksgiving feast in the year 1621, and invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians to the feast.

7. The state of New York officially made Thanksgiving Day an annual custom in 1817.

8. The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920s.

9. Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in America.

10. By the fall of 1621, only half of the Pilgrims who had sailed on the Mayflower survived. The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to hold a Thanksgiving Feast.

Reader's Tradition - Jennifer shared this yesterday. In case you didn't read the Comment Section, I wanted to make sure you saw her tradition. It sounds like a lot of fun.

The Thanksgiving tradition in my family is one of experimentation. My dad was never a fan of turkey, and ham was saved for Christmas and Easter. We created our own special menu - anything different! We would cook Mediterranean, Moroccan, French, English, Hawaiian, etc. I celebrate traditional Thanksgiving with my husband's family, but the weekend is always for my family. This year, we're trying Cajun. The main course will be Turducken (turkey, duck and chicken), gumbo, tasso mac and cheese and beignets.

Sounds good, doesn't it? (Especially the beignets!)

Have a lovely Wednesday. It's Encouraging Wednesday, so reach out to at least one person today. I have a little linkage to share Thursday, as well as a fun seasonal date.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda