In 1607 a great event occurred in England, when a group of political activists who wanted religious freedom from the Church of England moved to Holland. These people would become known as the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims were the first people to build a lasting settlement in the recently discovered America, and they struggled hard to survive their first harsh winter. Eventually, they made friends with the native people and began to grow food. That fall, they celebrated the first Thanksgiving, an American tradition which has continued down to the present day.

Life in Holland was not the best solution for the Pilgrims. They were Englishmen, raised in the customs of that country, and Holland was foreign to them. The Pilgrims did not want their children to grow up as Dutchmen. Therefore, in 1620 the Pilgrims decided to travel to the coast of America, an English colony. They found financial backing and arranged for a ship to carry them, called the Mayflower. In the summer of 1620 they set out. When they arrived in what is now Massachusetts, fall was coming. The Pilgrims quickly built a settlement, which they called Jamestown. The winter was harsh and cold. Many of the settlers died. Despite the odds, Jamestown survived through the first winter. The fall of 1621, the surviving Pilgrims decided to hold a feast to celebrate making it through the winter and give thanks to God. This celebration later became known as Thanksgiving, a day when Americans should gather with family and friends to thank God for all He has given us.

In my family, we try and celebrate Thanksgiving in much the same way as the Pilgrims did, by getting family together, recognizing what God has given us, and feasting! The feast of Thanksgiving is an anticipated event that begins way before the actual day. My mom Liz orders a large fresh turkey, usually 25 pounds or more because with 6 brothers and sisters and my dad, we need to make sure we have plenty of leftovers. My younger sisters, Emily, 11, and Katie, 9, help my mom in the kitchen to bake the pies the day before. We always have pumpkin pie and mincemeat pie. Sometimes we have our cousins or extended family over and that makes the day even more special. We make it a point to go to Mass during the day to thank God for his many blessings. We attend Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. We feel so fortunate to have this wonderful Shrine and the Pauline Fathers and Brothers so close to our home, so we can attend Mass there often. It is another thing we are truly thankful for.

In the Parrish family, the little ones, John, who is 6 years old, and his sister Suzie, 4, and brother Michael, 2, play games and read stories about the Pilgrims. Sometimes we watch a football game on the television (American football not soccer!) and then go outside to throw the football around. We eat only a light breakfast and lunch in order to make sure we are very hungry for the main meal of the day! It is difficult to wait because the house fills with the delicious smell of the turkey cooking. Our mom leaves out a tray of candies (usually mints) for us to snack on. Thanksgiving meal is served at about 4:00 PM, in the ornate dining room with our finest china and silverware. There is an ample spread of bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, turnips, cauliflower and other dishes that we normally only have on this day to mark it as special.  Our dad Scott carves the turkey with a special knife and we all begin to enjoy our feast. We take turns going around the table and telling each other what we are thankful for. Everyone eats so much dinner and desert after dinner that we can’t move. The dishes in the kitchen can be quite a sight. We all pitch in to clean up and work off the food.  All in all, you can see why we wait excitedly for Thanksgiving to come because there is lots of food and good cheer.