Ulsterman in Texas

What is your favourate US tradition? Mine is Thanksgiving to me it is a holiday all about a very positive think, which is the idea of being thabkful. As a Christian (no debates plese) of course it has a spritual significance, but I think the idea of giving thanks transends all faiths and none. What is your favourate US tradition?

Sally Redux

What's the spiritual significance? I thought it was about the pilgrims being thankful to the native Americans.

hungryhorace

None. Genuinely. Thanksgiving means nothing to me, it's just a day when the shops close.

Ulsterman in Texas

Well in the historical context you are right, buy of course the Pilgrims were sepritist Purtians so they would have been thankful to God, but Thanksgiving isn't just a commeration of the first Thanksgiving, it is a day where we remenber with thankfulness to God for His provision. Again I didn't intend this to be a debate thread

robin1234

I agree, I love Thanksgiving. When we lived in England (1980s) we used to do a big Thanksgiving, with another American family in the small town where we lived. We both had toddlers/small children at the time. Definitely nostalgia-fest.

Two things (apart from the food) I like about Thanksgiving. First, it has resisted, to some extent, commercialisation, in that there's not a lot of crap to buy or gifts to give. Also it has a spiritual significance, as you say, but can be enjoyed by Jews, atheists, and all & sundry.

It is a bit late in the year, though, considering it is sort of a harvest festival. I think the date of Thanksgiving in Canada is more appropriate ...

Sally Redux

I actually didn't know it was meant to be a religious holiday.

SultanOfSwing

Thanksgiving is mine, too. Basically because I'm a fat bastard and I love a big feed. Funny, I always thought of it as a secular holiday, myself.

That being said, I'm an atheist who loves Christmas, so what do I know?

Sally Redux

The Christians nicked a pagan festival, so it's OK.

robin1234

Well, I think it comfortably straddles the religious/secular, a bit like Christmas in the UK. I can't celebrate Christmas here in the US because I just find any Christian overtones in the US distasteful. (Unless episcopal or UU, of course )

SultanOfSwing

I celebrate it as a secular event, myself. Food and presents and a few days off work to relax. I don't make any explicit reference to the religious aspect.

I will admit that one thing that has stuck with me from my previous life as an Anglican was that I am quite partial to a carol or two.

Sally Redux

Vordeman?

SultanOfSwing

Oh, you

hungryhorace

Retailers sure exploit the **** out of it though!

Snap Shot

Whilst I'm not an atheist I unashamedly love Christmas. Even when it's spoiled by being in the summer as I'm living in New Zealand. This will be my third Christmas whilst living in NZ. Only two more summer Christmases left after this one if I have my way. Then it's back to the real world to do Christmas properly. Christmas dinner without sprouts, I mean, I ask you !

Anyway going I once had to ask what were they giving thanks for. As I was having a working holiday/extended vacation in America a good few years ago. I was advised that it had it's roots in the history of the early settlers. However, these days it's anything you feel thankful for. I accept some Americans don't care for Thanksgiving at all, or, worse still, 'Black Friday' when a lot of Christmas shopping can be done.

Noorah101

I'm a USC by birth, and have never associated Thanksgiving with religion. It was all about the Pilgrims and Native Americans.

That said, I don't get into ANY of the holidays. About 1990 I stopped doing anything for any of the holidays. I don't have a big family to do Thanksgiving with (plus it's just tooooo much food), I don't like the commercialism of Christmas and I'm not Christian anyway to see it as a religious holiday, I don't drink or party so New Years Eve/Day is just another day to me, I don't like the commercialism of Valentine's Day (I'd rather give/receive gifts whenever the feeling strikes, rather than on a planned day of the year when it's expected). When my Iranian husband immigrated here, we agreed the only "events" we'll really celebrate are our birthdays and our wedding anniversary...3 events per year, that's enough. And they are special events just for the two of us, not what the rest of the country/planet does.

Even on those 3 special days of ours, we rarely give gifts to each other. We'll celebrate by going to dinner, or maybe a vacation, something we can both share in.

I know we are definitely the odd ducks here.

Rene