A Retirement Thanksgiving . . . From ‘Retirement’
Thanksgiving has been called a “uniquely American” holiday — and as we approach the holiday season, it seems appropriate to take a moment to reflect upon, and acknowledge — to give thanks, if you will. While it’s the celebration following a successful harvest held by the group we now call “Pilgrims” and members of the Wampanoag tribe in 1621 that provides most of the imagery around the holiday, Thanksgiving didn’t become a national observance until much later. On Oct. 3, 1789, George Washington issued his Thanksgiving proclamation, designating for “the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving” to be held on “Thursday the 26th day of November,” 1789, marking the first national celebration of the holiday. However, subsequent presidents failed to carry forward this tradition. Incredibly, it wasn’t marked as a national observance until 1863 — right in the middle of the Civil War, (also on Oct. 3) and at a time when, arguably, there was little for which to be thankfu