The first Thanksgiving meal was celebrated in 1621 when the Pilgrims from the Plymouth Colony thanked god for the first harvest in the New World. Having taught by to Wampanoag tribe how to fish, plant, harvest and hunt the meal was shared with 90 Native Americans. If the later had only known what smallpox was, they should have run away quick and the National day of Mourning held on the same day by Native Americans wouldn’t be needed.
The first president George Washington, more concerned with the independent United States then with the Natives, proclaimed in 1789 to celebrate the first National Thanksgiving Day and President Roosevelt made it a secular federal holiday in 1941, creating the most traditional biggest holiday in the USA.
My best friends M and D, who introduced me to my first wedding shower, my first American bachelorette party, my first American/Jewish Wedding, my first political rally (yes, 3 years ago I have skeptical waved to Obama), my first Halloween party and my first professional American Football game, invite me for my first traditional Thanksgiving.
The day starts off with the preparation of the Bird. The recipe is handed down from Grandma, to Ds mother, to D. 
With the Bird in the oven we watch the annually Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York. Large balloons, tv personalities on floats and Broadway musical scenes come by.
The table is set, we are dress up, all is ready.
Time for the family to roll in.
And then finally the Bird is facing its last ordeal, being carved by the man in the house and being eaten by the family.
Dinner is served. Traditional Thanksgiving food: Turkey, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, pumpkin casserole, sweet potato pie with pecan and apple pie. Well thats traditional in this family, tofurkey and ham are on the rise in California. 
But nothing wrong with traditional turkey with the whole family. Four generations ranging from Opa (95) and Omi (89) until the youngest addition to the family L (3 months).
And what do you do in the evening? You watch American football and lay down on the couch. Growing up with soccer, I don't recollect which team is playing and what the result was...hmmm, that might be because I went to bed....too much food and too much football.Don't think the next day things are over and back to normal. This is America and people go shopping in the middle of the night for the traditional Black Friday sales. Now Thanksgiving is over, Christmas shopping are the new focus. And on Monday the newest tradition takes off: Cyber Monday, internet Christmas shopping.
Not so much for us though, we keep it real traditional. D makes soup from the turkey carcass.
And we hang outside in the cold. 
It indeeds getting cold here, time to go south. But not before doing an old Thanksgiving tradition, saying thanks: M, D and Z, thanks for being my friends. Love you.Dag,
Iris (Red Hook, 25270 miles)
