Thanksgiving and its wonderful break is fast approaching, which means that this fall semester is nearing an end. Midterms have officially passed and finals are beginning to loom on the horizon for us students. But before all of that, most of us will be sitting down to a turkey, ham, or another ritual delicacy with those individuals that are special our lives.
By Maddie Gillespie
Editor-in-Chief
Thanksgiving and its wonderful break is fast approaching, which means that this fall semester is nearing an end. Midterms have officially passed and finals are beginning to loom on the horizon for us students. But before all of that, most of us will be sitting down to a turkey, ham, or another ritual delicacy with those individuals that are special our lives.
When classes end on Nov. 23, students and professors alike will most likely be sighing in relief at the knowledge that it is time to relax for a few days. Everyone will finally have the chance to sink into his or her favorite couch or chair and spend some quality time watching a sports game on television, or even reading a book. Homework, work, and paper grading can be pushed aside for a day or so, hopefully.
And who knows? We might even be in store for a good bit of snow before Thanksgiving break rolls around with weather forecasts predicting snow already. With snow on the ground, Seton Hill University (SHU) will be transformed into its unique form of winter wonderland. Although it is probably too soon to start hoping for a repeat experience of last February’s “Snowpocalypse,” it is not above anyone wishing for a snowball fight on Sullivan lawn.
No matter what it is that you may have planned for the next two weeks, the important thing is to have fun. Go hang out with some friends, veg out in front of the television while watching your favorite show, or sit down with your family for a nice meal and give some thought to what you are thankful for this turkey season.
Thanksgiving Day Facts
http://www.thanksgivingnovember.com/thanksgiving-facts.html
1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States, but is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.
2. The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first people to celebrate Thanksgiving in fall of 1621.
3. The drink that the pilgrims brought with them was beer.
4. It was the Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans that taught the pilgrims how to cultivate the land around them.
5. The first Thanksgiving feast lasted for three days.
6. The first official, national Thanksgiving Day proclamation was issued by President George Washington in 1789.
7. Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor in 1827, began a campaign to observe Thanksgiving Day as a time for national thanksgiving and prayer.
8. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set Thanksgiving Day as the last Thursday in November 1939 in order to make the Christmas season longer, thus stimulating the national economy.
9. In 1941 Congress passed an official proclamation that declared Thanksgiving as a legal holiday, now celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November every year.
10. Benjamin Franklin originally wanted the national bird to be the turkey, but Thomas Jefferson opposed Franklin and nominated the eagle. It’s rumored that Franklin then named the male turkey “tom” to spite Jefferson.
11. Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade was started in the 1920’s.
12. The largest consumers of turkey in the U.S. are Californians.