The personal memories and traditions that make Thanksgiving such a special holiday mean much more when they are shared with others. Here are some of the things that make Thanksgiving so important to many of our customers.

Did you know that Sarah Josepha Hale, 19th century editor of Godey's Ladies Book, was responsible for establishing Thanksgiving as a national holiday? Her tireless campaign over 30 years finally succeeded when President Lincoln signed the Thanksgiving proclamation in 1863. In our New Hampshire home, not far from where Mrs. Hale was born, we say "Thank you, Sarah" and "Thank you, President Lincoln" as we enjoy our holiday dinner.
Sharon Wood
Claremont, NH

"The one thing about Thanksgiving I remember as a kid growing up is my mother. Something that stood out was how hard she worked on that dinner. Just like a lot of families back in the old days, ours was big. We had 10. Mother was up about five in the morning getting started on the food. This went on until the meal was done. And she would wait till all of us had food before she sat down to eat, too. My mother is with our Lord, so if you see your mother cooking away on Thanksgiving, walk up to her and give her a big kiss and say, Mother, thank you, and I love you."
David W. Stout
Fargo, ND

"When I was young, my stepfather was in the military. We didn't have any family near where he was stationed, but that didn't mean Thanksgiving was a small event. Each year he brought home the young GIs who were away from home and lonely. We shared our Thanksgivings with them, so they would have a family to celebrate with, even if, like us, they were far from their own!"
Beth Walsh
Kansas City, MO

"Last year I started a new tradition that I hope to continue for many years. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving I had a family pre-Thanksgiving dessert party. I sent out invitations and made several desserts. We played games and visited for the evening. It was lots of fun and we enjoyed the desserts before stuffing our stomachs with all the wonderful holiday trimmings."
Ann
Adrian, MI

"We live close to Great Lakes Naval Base - Bootcamp for Sailors. Every Thanksgiving we call in early to adopt sailors for Thanksgiving dinner. It is a wonderful event and the fellas have ranged from 19 to 23 years old. They are so very grateful to have a home cooked meal after 10 weeks of basic training. Our grandchildren especially enjoy meeting and spending the day with these young men. We make sure they all call home. It is one of the most rewarding events of the year."
Bunny
Aurora, IL

"My husband and I met in grad school, so we were both out of the states where we grew up in/where our families live. As gen x'ers and having had lifetimes of education, our situation was perfectly normal for us in that all of our friends were in the same boat (i.e. as students). We would get multiple days off at Christmas, but Thanksgiving was just Thursday through Sunday and that was hardly enough time to make it home, especially if one is going out of state. At some point we realized that our friends and colleagues (which at this point included many foreign students for whom Thanksgiving meant nothing) were also "alone" for the holiday, so we invited a few over one year. Now we have a guest list of about 35, and it grows as our friends get married and have children. I can't imagine a Thanksgiving without being surrounded by our friends. As for our foreign friends, it's great to be able to spend this speacial holiday with them. We can't be near our relatives, but this is the next best thing!!"
Jennifer
Tucson, AZ

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