Thanksgiving — the day after

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and while you might be recovering from a food coma, let’s take a moment to reflect on some fascinating facts about this beloved holiday. Here are some fun tidbits to keep the festive spirit alive!

Plot Twist: The First Thanksgiving Was a Sausage Fest (Literally!)

Picture this: It’s 1621, and you’re at the ultimate harvest festival that lasted THREE whole days. You’ve got 50 Pilgrims partying with 90 Wampanoag Indians, but here’s the kicker – only five women were at this legendary feast! Talk about being outnumbered! Those five ladies must have had their hands full keeping 135 hungry folks fed for three straight days.

Turkey? What Turkey?!

Hold onto your leftovers: Turkey wasn’t even on the menu at the first Thanksgiving! Instead, these party animals were chowing down on venison, duck, goose, oysters, lobster, and eel. Basically, it was like a fancy seafood buffet meets hunting lodge – way more adventurous than your uncle’s dry turkey!

The Woman Behind the Holiday Magic

Meet Sarah Josepha Hale – yes, the same lady who wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb!” This determined woman spent 17 years writing letters to convince Abraham Lincoln to make Thanksgiving official. Talk about persistence! On October 3, 1863, Lincoln finally caved and proclaimed it a national holiday. Sometimes, it really pays to be the squeaky wheel!

Presidential Turkey Drama: A Comedy of Pardons

Hold onto your wishbones for this wild ride through presidential turkey history:

• Harry Truman: Got the first ceremonial turkey… and ate it! (So much for mercy!)
• JFK: First to actually let a turkey live (what a rebel!)
• Nixon: Sent his turkey to a petting zoo (probably the safest option).
• George H.W. Bush: Made turkey pardoning official in 1989 (finally, some structure!).

Turkey Towns Across America

There are four U.S. towns named “Turkey” – in Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina. Imagine updating your GPS: “In 500 feet, turn right to enter Turkey!”

Calorie Carnage: The Numbers Don’t Lie

Brace yourself: The average American consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. That’s like eating two and a half days’ worth of food in one sitting! No wonder we all need stretchy pants and a serious nap afterward.

Butterball to the Rescue!

When turkey panic strikes, Butterball’s got your back! Their Turkey Hotline fields more than 100,000 desperate cooking questions every November and December. From “My turkey is still frozen!” to “Is it supposed to look like that?!” – they’ve heard it all.

Touchdown Tradition Since 1876

Football and Thanksgiving go together like gravy and mashed potatoes. It all started in 1876 with Yale vs. Princeton, and the NFL joined the party in 1920. Nothing says “I’m thankful” quite like arguing with your relatives about a questionable referee call!

The Great Thanksgiving Migration

Last year, over 54 million Americans traveled for Thanksgiving – that marked a 4.8% increase from the previous year! Airports were packed, highways were jammed, and we all shared in the beautiful chaos of travel delays and family reunions.

The Bottom Line: Thanksgiving has evolved from a simple three-day harvest celebration to a full-blown American tradition filled with presidential turkey pardons, massive calorie consumption, and the annual ritual of getting stuck in traffic to see relatives once a year. And honestly? We wouldn’t have it any other way! And now, have fun with the jigsaw puzzle to celebrate the day after Thanksgiving!

If you enjoyed this week’s Friday Morning Post, please leave a comment with your time on the puzzle. I’d also love to hear your thoughts on the post! Thanks for being here!

See all my Friday Morning Posts here. If you missed last week’s post, you can use this link to view Uncle Rupert and the Carving Knife Clue. And, if you tried your hand at last week’s mystery and want to read the conclusion, you’ll need to read this week’s Friday Morning Post, which you can do here.