Celebrating Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an awesome Holiday and I have always enjoyed it immensely. Football, family gatherings, great food and giving thanks for our abundant Blessings seem to naturally go hand in hand.

Growing Up

I remember growing up in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and the unique way we celebrated the Holiday. In Wilkes-Barre we have three high schools in the city: Meyers, Coughlin, and G.A.R. As one would expect there is an incredible rivalry between the three city schools, and all three schools played on Thanksgiving. In the morning, Coughlin played a team from Kingston which is across the Susquehanna River. In the afternoon Myers played G.A.R. which is my old high school. Many people spent the whole day watching both games. Watching my high school play on Thanksgiving was a special event I looked forward to every year.

Then we went home, and said a prayer of Thanksgiving, and enjoyed a great meal. Of course, everyone has their own special receiptsfor preparing the food. Afterward we would go and visit the relatives.

As an Adult

When I became an adult my brother and his family would come and visit us in Wilkes-Barre. It was a little difficult to entertain my nephews and get them interested in the NFL games on television. At that time, the Detroit Lions seemed to be on just about every year. In those years, the Lions were not very competitive and they usually got creamed. So I would tease my nephews and tell them the Lions were a ferocious team that would surely win on Thanksgiving. If they were behind at halftime I would predict a dramatic comeback which never came about. To this day, my nephews remember the fun we had watching the Lions, and one actually claims to be a Lions fan.

Now in my later years I have begun to really appreciate the Spiritual significance of the Holiday. There is no more high school football on this special day, so I usually spend it with family and friends. The high school football may be gone, but I still look forward to this special Holiday every year.