Illustration by Claire Bear Inman, age 9

Remember the excitement you felt anticipating holidays as a kid? I still feel that way about Thanksgiving. It has everything going for it:

• The joy of taking time for family and food inside when it's cold outside
• The excitement of seasons changing and colors shifting.
• A memory of a hopeful moment in America's history when, with God's help we overcame disaster

I'm going to comment on that last one. The Pilgrims, mostly religious separatists who had escaped to Holland to avoid religious persecution in England arrived on American Shores in 1620. Their first winter in the New World was so tough that nearly half of the original 102 voyagers had perished before it was over. Adversity must have taught them something, because that spring these civilized English ex-pats befriended their Native American neighbors, not as teachers, but as students. They were taught how to plant, hunt and dress, and by the time fall arrived, there was a bountiful harvest. The governor ordered a week of celebration with their native hosts.

An account from Edward Winslow, who'd written back to friends in England:

" Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which we brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

There you have it: Thankfulness to God expressed through a cross-cultural feast. Now that's a holy holiday!