What A Busy November!

November is a busy month. In the United States, election day is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. But November is not just a month of politics, it's also a month about giving thanks. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday in November. It is a day where Americans come together around a table, feast on turkey, and celebrate what they are thankful for.

The first Thanksgiving Day celebration can be traced back to the 1621 harvest meal. The original attendees of the 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation were Pilgrims and Native American. Pilgrims were religious refugees from England; the pilgrims had difficulty harvesting the land in America. The local Native Americans from the Wampanoag tribe saw the hardships of the Pilgrims and wanted to help. The Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to grow corn, beans, and squash and catch fish. After a successful harvest season, the Pilgrims wanted to show their gratitude to the local Wampanoag tribe and invited them to a meal. The meal is known as Thanksgiving. While today's Thanksgiving celebrations would be nearly unrecognizable to the Pilgrims and Native Americans of the original 1621 harvest meal, Thanksgiving still remains a day of giving thanks for family, friends, and the food on the table.

For some, Thanksgiving also marks the start of the holiday season and holiday shopping! The day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday, when all retailers offer discounts to entice shoppers to spend money. Another way to look at Black Friday is that it's just another way to get some exercise after a day of eating!