other countries have a similar holiday at other times of the year
No, usually other countries, especially in Old World, do not have an Indian populace to praise for the land they took off to let the colonists to settle on.
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'historically', Thanksgiving has been a day for arguing, and not just at the dinner table.
You can argue over the first thanksgiving hint: Newt Gingrich's recent article on its origin is, like most of what he says, completely wrong, but both the French and Spanish settlors were celebrating long before the English got here. The English settlors in Virginia specifically celebrated their successful arrival in the New World, while several years later the pilgrims in Massachussets (which everyone incorrectly associates with the first thanksgiving) were holding harvest festivals - a few years later they also started celebrating thanksgiving feasts, and eventually the two holidays merged into one.
The founding fathers argued over thanksgiving. While Washington and Adams both proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving, Jefferson was very much against it, and it wasn't celebrated during his presidency. As a matter of fact, on a national level, it was only celebrated twice thereafter, until Lincoln turned it into a national holiday. States could make it a holiday on their own, and approximately 3/4 had adopted thanksgiving by then
Oh, and then there's the 10-year period where people argued over whether it should be celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November (Democrat's Thanksgiving), of the last Thursday of the November (Republican Thanksgiving).
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So, the US celebrates Thanksgiving today, while I understand that other countries have a similar holiday at other times of the year. Historically, this has been a day when we set aside our daily life to remember our blessings and give thanks for them.
Regardless of whether or not you celebrate today or at all, we really do all have something to be thankful for.
As we count our blessings today or other days and remember what God has done for us, may we all have truly thankful (and hopefully even happy) hearts!
If you can, please give someone a smile today, it might change the whole outlook of their day (for the better).
Grace, peace, and other blessings on you all.
(No giveaway this time, sorry.)
Happy Thanksgiving!
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