Thanksgiving in next week (we can hardly believe it either!) and thought it would be fun to share some interesting facts and trivia about this holiday.
Well “Mother of Thanksgiving”! 19th century writer and editor Sarah J. Hale wrote countless letters and articles to President Abraham Lincoln urging him to recognize the holiday federally and in 1863, President Lincoln did just that. Not only is Hale known as the “Mother of Thanksgiving” but she is also infamous for penning “Mary Had a Little Lamb!” Who knew?!
Let the games begin! The ever-favorite tradition of football on the day of Thanksgiving was started in 1876 with a game between Princeton and Yale! The NFL began playing games on this holiday in 1920.
To follow up that point, back in 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving from the 4th Thursday of November to the 3rd to allow for more shopping days. But a few problems…the football coaches were not happy as those with Thanksgiving games were now switched to regular weekday games. Let’s not even mention the calendar-printers who had incorrect dates (and headaches)! The change was not favored, with the new day being called “Franksgiving” by many, and so the official and legal date was moved back in 1942.
‘Tis the season for Christmas music on the radio! One classic that we all sing along with was originally composed to be a Thanksgiving song. Yes, “Jingle Bells”, under the original title of “One Horse Open Sleigh” written by James Pierpoint in 1857, was for children celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. Quickly associated with Christmas, the title changed occurred just 2 years later.
Regardless of how you celebrate this holiday, we hope you and your family and friends have a wonderful (and delicious) day!
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