Being thankful is a daily exercise. Someone said our normal position in life should be “thanksliving.” Giving thanks can be and should be a lifestyle. We are encouraged to give thanks in all things. A thankful heart is so much better to be around than an unthankful heart. So, in the spirit of an American national holiday called Thanksgiving, here are a few interesting facts surrounding this celebration. Share them with your family around the table.

• The American Thanksgiving is modeled after a 17^th century harvest feast. However, the U.S. National Park Service states that in 1565 Spanish settlers in St. Augustine, (now Florida), celebrated a meal with Native Americans of pork stew, sea biscuits, wine and beans. It is believed the native Americans provided turkey and venison.
• Around 46 million turkeys are consumed which is approximately 720 million pounds of turkey. Approximately 89% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
• Forty years ago, Butterball turkey company opened a hotline to answer questions and some 100,000 people call this hotline annually. 
• The Swanson company began the concept of frozen dinners in 1953 when they overestimated the number of frozen turkeys they would sell. Rather than waste all that meat, they recycled and repackaged it into frozen TV dinners.
• Thanksgiving became a national holiday when Abraham Lincoln made it one after the Civil War on October 20, 1864. That move was initiated and lobbied for by a woman named Sarah Joseph Hale most known for writing “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
• Other nations also celebrate this holiday in some form or fashion including: Canada, Grenada, Liberia, the Philippines, Saint Lucia and the Netherlands. 
• The U.S. president “pardons” a turkey from slaughter on Thanksgiving. Where did this tradition come from? It dates back to Abraham Lincoln’s son who was upset that his family’s turkey was going to be killed for dinner.
• According to the U.S. Calorie Control Council (who knew there was such a council), an average American may consume 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day.
• And finally, the day after Thanksgiving is said to be the busiest day of the year for plumbers!