A pastor was visiting some of his parishioners. He took his young daughter with him. As they visited an elderly couple, the man gave her a handful of peanuts. Expecting her to show a spirit of gratitude, the father asked his daughter, "Honey, what are you supposed to say?" Sincerely, and with her eyes fixed upon the man, she asked, "You got any more?"

That sounds like many of us. We accept God's gifts, never saying "thank you" but simply asking, "Have you got any more?" Yet God keeps giving. That is His nature.

This is part 1 of a number of facts associated with THANKSGIVING. This is an all American holiday. Although the US and Canada celebrate the day on different dates, the purpose is the same.

Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving is an annual national holiday in the United States. It is said to be an uniquely American event. Its purpose is to celebrate the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Many historians attribute its origin to the autumn of 1621 when Plymouth governor William Bradford invited neighboring Indians to join the Pilgrims for a three-day festival of recreation and feasting in gratitude for the bounty of the season.

By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day had become an institution throughout New England and was officially proclaimed as a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. The traditional feast of turkey, pumpkin pie and cranberries has since become an indigenous part of the national culture. Traditionally celebrated on the last Thursday in November, it was changed by act of Congress in 1941 to the fourth Thursday of that month. Canada first adopted Thanksgiving as a national holiday in November 1879, and it is now celebrated annually on the second Monday in October.

The above statement about Thanksgiving Day is very brief and includes the basic facts -- but there are a number of amendments that need to be addressed. Many cultures have celebrated the harvest. The uniqueness of the American holiday was that it was a day to thank God for his blessing for the past year. It was not just a festival of harvest. Today many historians are trying to debunk the traditional Thanksgiving. They have attempted to diminish the fact that it was a time of thanksgiving and prayer to God. They have told us that we have romanticized the early Thanksgiving and replaced the plain facts with myths.

There is a great effort to leave Christianity and religion out of American history, but to do so is to is to is to ignore the facts. To ignore the Christian background of the United States is to create a myth and promote a lie. Over the next several days the 'Daily Miscellany' will look at the some of the history and traditions of Thanksgiving Day. Other examples of early Thanksgivings that compete with and precede that of 1621 will be presented. A common thread in all of these 'early Thanksgivings' is that of praise and thankfulness to God.