Hi everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful week and are looking forward to a lovely Thanksgiving long weekend. As the weather is becoming cooler and the days shorter, the leaves are changing to their brilliant fall colours, and crops, gardens and fruit trees are harvested of their bounty.
Thanksgiving historically has been a time to “give thanks” for the harvest and to share that bounty with family, friends and the community. Canadian Thanksgiving was officially declared by Parliament on Jan. 31, 1957 to be held on the second Monday of October. Although the holiday is on a Monday, some people celebrate on Saturday or Sunday allowing some time to clean up after the festivities, travel back home or just relax.
Some common dinner menu items are mashed potatoes and gravy, brussels sprouts, green beans, glazed carrots, sweet potato casserole, stuffing (or is it dressing?), turkey or ham and pumpkin or apple pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Are you hungry yet? Oh, and we must not forget the cranberry sauce! Do you like your cranberry sauce from a can as the whole berry style or jellied, or is homemade the only kind you will eat? Is it slathered all over the turkey or neatly placed on the plate to be dipped into? In our household, whole berry from the can is the favourite, any other kind is unacceptable. And then there are the leftovers. From turkey or ham soup to sandwiches, there are plenty of meal ideas the following week. Most dinner items can be frozen to be enjoyed on cold, rainy days before Christmas. Yikes! Did I say Christmas? We won’t go there just yet.
Speaking of turkey … the Halfmoon Bay Elementary School staff, students and organizers would like to extend a heartfelt “thank-you to our amazing community!” Wendy White, school coordinator, said: “We had an outpouring of support from local businesses and community members and were able to purchase 20 turkeys (two per classroom!) as well as gift cards for all the ‘fixins’!” Turkeys will be awarded today at the school, just in time for Thanksgiving dinner this weekend.
As you celebrate Thanksgiving, enjoy the company of friends and family and don’t forget to wear comfortable clothing. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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Be safe, be gentle, and always be kind.
