Here’s hoping you and your loved ones have a happy Thanksgiving.
Brad Chaney enjoys listening to the ideas and dreams of those living in the Lowcountry. They also complete home improvement projects — such as replacement windows and exterior doors — and tackle home repairs throughout the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Their service area includes Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Daniel Island, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, etc…The History of Thanksgiving in America
The first Thanksgiving between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians happened in the fall of 1621, about 10 months after the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, MA. Only 44 of the 102 original voyagers were alive due to hardships of the first year. The celebration was for the great harvest, which happened because the Native-American Indians taught them about growing local crops. The Pilgrims were appreciated, because they had helped the Wampanoags fight back a rival tribe that attacked earlier in the year.
Thanksgiving Trivia
1. What year was the celebration that is most commonly considered to be the first Thanksgiving?
A: 1621. This is the celebration that people most often talk about when they are talking about the “first” Thanksgiving. But there are others that are claimed to be the first Thanksgiving. There was another celebration in Plymouth in 1623 and one in Boston in 1631 that people claim was the actual first Thanksgiving.
2. Under which president did Thanksgiving become an annual holiday?
A: Abraham Lincoln. The U.S. has celebrated Thanksgiving off and on since 1774. In 1789 George Washington made a proclamation that the country would celebrate a day of thanksgiving to God on November 26th. Some presidents after him continued the tradition, declaring different days of 
Thanksgiving. But it wasn’t until a proclamation by Lincoln in 1863 that the last Thursday of November became the official Thanksgiving holiday.
3. In what year did both the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and America’s Thanksgiving Parade start?
A: 1924. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was started by Louis Bamberger in Newark, New Jersey but was transferred to New York City where it is now held by Macy’s. America’s Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit was inspired by Eaton’s Santa Claus Parade in Toronto, Ontario.
Thanksgiving Quotes
“The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.” — Douglas Wood
“We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown.” — Marcie, from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
“It’s up to us to choose contentment and thankfulness now—and to stop imagining that we have to have everything perfect before we’ll be happy.” — Joanna Gaines
“Thanksgiving is recognition of a debt that cannot be paid. We express thanks, whether or not we are able otherwise to reimburse the giver.” — Billy Graham
How to Plan a Memorable Thanksgiving Event
Are you hosting this year’s Thanksgiving gathering? If so, you will need a solid plan, with a to-do list, together so you can have fewer worries and enjoy the holiday. This article offers a cheat sheet for your Thanksgiving gathering. It covers everything from guests with dietary restrictions to selecting a turkey and 
serving the perfect dessert.
The B. Chaney Improvements staff hopes your meal tastes great, your football team wins and you make memories to last a lifetime.
Thanksgiving Traditions From Around the World
1. Canada: It may surprise most to learn that Canada’s first Thanksgiving celebration actually predates America’s first holiday. In 1578, an expedition led by the English navigator Martin Frobisher held a ceremony to give thanks for the safety of their fleet.
2. Germany: The German equivalent of Thanksgiving is Erntedankfest, or “harvest festival of thanks.” During a typical Erntedankfest, celebrants may carry an Erntekrone — harvest crown of grains — fruit and flowers to the church in a solemn procession.
3. Norfolk Island: This remote island in the Pacific Ocean is another unlikely place for a holiday celebration with American roots. Its Thanksgiving tradition dates back to the mid-1890s, when the American trader Isaac Robinson decided to put on an American-style Thanksgiving service in the All Saints Church in Kingston.
4. Grenada: Every October 25, people on this West Indian island celebrate their own Thanksgiving Day. It marks the anniversary of a joint Caribbean and U.S. military invasion of Grenada in 1983 to oust a corrupt government. To show their own gratitude, many people in towns and villages hosting the soldiers invited them to dine and celebrate with them, even surprising them with such non-native island foods as turkey, cranberry and potatoes.