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In the year 1620, the Mayflower left England and landed on Cape Cod, where the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared the feast that has come to be known as Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, cranberry sauce, and sweet potatoes have become staples of the meal, but more important than the food served might be the custom of family members getting together. Straight Arrow News contributor Star Parker fears the custom of family dinners has become endangered, making the Thanksgiving dinner even more precious.
There’s nothing quite like Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, we are the only country in the world that does Thanksgiving where we have great food, great company. Hopefully not too much political debate while we’re enjoying each other. Play the turkey. Some stuff in. I mean, life is grand when we can come together as a community of people, as family, to celebrate, to celebrate and be thankful, to have dinner with family.
You know, that’s something rare these days to actually have dinner with family. And a lot of people are making great effort this year for Thanksgiving because inflation is there. So that means Thanksgiving dinner is much more expensive. That means getting there to Thanksgiving dinner is much more expensive, whether you’re flying or whether you’re driving. And so hopefully not too much political discussion, but the dinner table every night, it’s not there anymore.
Making Thanksgiving more special, but making something we should really be concerned about as a society. Everyone has their own screens, their own corner of the house. In a recent study conducted by one poll found that the average American has only three dinners a week with their families, and many of those dinners are out of the bag of McDonald’s.
And of that, so many are spending less time with family discussions. They’re just not doing it anymore. And then, of course, the study didn’t say that it was a McDonald’s bag, but we all know it’s true. We’re on our phones. We’re watching TV, less time at the dinner table, more time in the living room or in our own separate spaces.
And the dinner table was so special. And our history is that American people, because that’s where discussions came up that would actually connect us to one another and where virtues and values were passed on through family, through grandma, granddad, husband, wife, married to each other. And then the children are listening. And then that makes Thanksgiving dinner even more precious for so many families.
