Thanksgiving has always been kind of an odd holiday at our house. My father was half native American and my mother is English. I didn't live in this country until I was twelve. We did celebrate Thanksgiving but it never had any long standing family traditions or recipes we shared. Mom did her best to cook the standard fare and we were told that it was a time to be grateful for the things we had. Dad stories of the Pilgrims and the Indians, did not match what we were taught in school however.
The textbook stories made the day easier to celebrate, but in my gut I always thought it sounded too warm and fuzzy to be entirely true. As an adult, I know the real history now and choose to celebrate it as a day to give thanks for the harvest and the good things we have shared throughout the year. This is what I will tell my son and as he grows, I will teach him about what really happened to the Indians. Considering the actual history, I suppose we should also be thankful any of his ancestors survive today.
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