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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThanksgiving is a holiday made for family and reflection.
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Thanksgiving was established when the Pilgrims traveled across the ocean in search of a land where they could have religious freedom. The standard was set in 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians gathered together to feast over the first Thanksgiving meal. The Pilgrims were thanking God for saving them from the starvation that had killed over half of the voyagers prior to their alliance with the Wampanoag people.
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History.com<\/a> stated, \u201cThanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2019 occurs on Thursday, November 28.\u201d In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn\u2019t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. President George Washington also had a Thanksgiving proclamation for establishing this country. History.com states, \u201cDuring the American Revolution<\/a>, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington<\/a> issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country\u2019s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution<\/a>.\u201d As Christians, we should use every day as a chance to give thanks. The pilgrims traveled across the Atlantic ocean to America to be able to worship God freely. America\u2019s laws and Constitution were established on Biblical foundations. America is the only country with freedom and rights to fully express our beliefs. We should be sharing the love of Jesus because we can freely do so. However, we easily forget to put the Lord first because we don\u2019t have to fight for it. We are so easily distracted by our everyday routine that we forget to stop and thank the Lord. Oftentimes, we don\u2019t even use Thanksgiving as a day of thanks. Rather, we just fellowship and eat with friends and family. Thanksgiving can be put in the shadows by the Christmas enthusiasts. The day after Halloween, the Christmas season started for most people. Stores were covered with Christmas decorations and surrounded by Christmas music. Not only did stores get a jump start, but most families also put their Christmas decorations up. There are several Christmas traditions during the Thanksgiving season. I asked some of my friends what their families do during Thanksgiving. My friend Kate said, \u201cMy family and I have always gone to the movies on Thanksgiving day ever since I can remember.\u201d My friend Gina said, \u201cMy family has always put their names in a bowl and drawn names for Christmas presents. We planned ahead for Christmas by listening to Christmas music and the kids would even decorate gingerbread houses on some Thanksgivings.\u201d My friend Blake said, \u201cMy family would love Christmas so much that it was a tradition to put the Christmas tree up after we ate the Thanksgiving meal.\u201d The day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday, which means Christmas shopping. The Balance<\/a> website states, \u201cIn 2016, there were 101.7 million people who braved the crowds. That’s more than 74 million in 2015. The next biggest day was Saturday when 64 million people went to stores. Only 33 million shopped on Sunday. The fewest, 29 million, left their homes on Thanksgiving Day 2016. In total, 137 million people went to stores over the four-day Black Friday weekend in 2016. That’s a third more than the 102 million in 2015.\u201d Some people plan their Thanksgiving day around Black Friday shopping. The Never What You Think<\/a> website states, \u201cPerhaps Thanksgiving is not a grand season in today\u2019s society because it only deals with giving.\u00a0 After all, people receive things on Halloween and Christmas, as opposed to Thanksgiving, all you receive is a stomach ache and non-concrete feelings.\u00a0 That would explain why Black Friday and Cyber Monday have gained more weight than the main event. Perhaps we have given into commercialism and only celebrate seasons that businesses can capitalize on.\u00a0 And perhaps the only people who break free from this curse are attracted to the first point made: they connect Thanksgiving with genocide.\u201d Thanksgiving is a very important national holiday that should not be taken lightly. It\u2019s a day to reflect on what we have and give thanks to God for it all.
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