Thanksgiving Day is a legal holiday observed in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. Its actual origin probably traces to harvest festivals that have been traditional in many parts of the world since ancient times.  In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World the Pilgrim's fall harvest was successful and plentiful. The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They found they had enough food to put away for the winter, they built homes in the wilderness, raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians. Today a Thanksgiving meal includes turkey, bread-crumb stuffing, cranberry sauce, squash, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. Most of these foods are native to North America, emphasizing the natural bounty that greeted early settlers.  

Holiday gifts: The local history books created by the History Center are the perfect hostess gift or for the “hard to buy for family, friends or family historian” over the holidays. Stop by and pick one up at the town hall or village offices. (Civil War, World War 1, World War 11, Veterans serving from 1945 to 1960 and 1960 to current , Sandy Pond Memories 1 and 2, History of  Lacona Village 125 years, Sandy Creek Village History 130 years, Abandoned Cemetery books, Farming in SandyCreek/Boylston,  Doctor’s serving Sandy Creek and Lacona featuring local drug stores.) All are reasonably priced.