Giving Thanks

The tradition of formally expressing one’s thanks for his/her many blessings dates back to the earliest colonial days. It was informally recognized when our new nation was organized, interrupted by President Jefferson who was concerned about the separation of church and state, and officially converted into a national holiday (the last Thursday of November) by President Lincoln in the midst of the Civil War. After a year with five Thursdays in November reduced the “shopping days till Christmas” to twenty-four, pragmatist President Franklin Roosevelt changed the annual date to the fourth Thursday of November, guaranteeing at least six more. Its…