Gee, Thanks
Thanksgiving is the most country of the holidays, being grateful for evolving traditions and giving thanks for you
As we all know, Norman Rockwell, the leadership of the Wampanoag people and George Washington gathered around a table in New England on the fourth Thursday in November for a meal of turkey and canned cranberry sauce, before picking a fight at Best Buy on Coloney Place.
Of course, this isn’t the truth, but it might as well be.
The legend of Thanksgiving is as big as the holiday itself. Looking back in time, searching for meaning in a past we didn’t experience and rooting ourselves in a period of time that has no influence on our current culture is peak Thanksgiving behavior, and is Country AF.
How many list songs do we hear about dirt roads, watering holes and bonfires every summer, sung by folks who don’t touch grass?1 How many of those songs are developed in corporate settings, then tested and revised based on data analytics and sales figures? How many people like me love to point these facts out and claim to have a better idea of how it once was?
If we paid any attention in class (or to the Country Music Dads), we know the first American Thanksgiving in 1621 was a gathering between the Wampanoag and Pilgrims of Plymouth, which celebrated the latter’s first successful harvest and year in this land. Over three days, they gave thanks by eating what they grew and hunted — turkey was not on the menu. It was very literally about it being a great day to be alive.
While the meals have changed, the core of this holiday remains the same. Today’s Thanksgiving provides a time to look back, slow down and prepare for the long winter ahead of us. This holiday is as much about giving thanks as taking an account of what has happened.
It’s about the past, misremembered or not. It’s about traditions that cannot be violated, and if they are, nothing really happens. In fact, when they are violated, those violations often become traditions.
I had a boss at a summer camp who once told me that it only takes doing something twice to create a tradition. And this is something I think about a lot, especially within the context of cultural growth, respect for tradition and the need to make a space for an ever-evolving and expanding community.
What is on our radio dial and Thanksgiving tables has changed significantly over the years, but is always traditional.
This is a long way of saying, I’m extremely grateful to those who read my pieces on culture, country music and traditions. As American’s we have a hard time with this aspect of our traditions. We love moving forward. We want what comes next. We believe we are destined for greatness, while much of our gratefulness is performative.
But this statement is not. I very much appreciate you taking time out of your day to read what I write. For those who support this effort with a few bones every month, I’m especially grateful for your support. You help cover the costs of my music habit, and I have no hope in kicking that at any point soon.
I’d also like to thank my family, who have indulged this habit. My lovely wife provided my gateway into this world. For more than 20 years, we’ve crafted our own traditions, influenced by our past and hopeful about our future. I’m extremely grateful for our life together.
So thank you, and I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving.
Are we still saying that?