Ways to Re-Envision the Traditional Thanksgiving Day Celebration

An attempt to refocus this holiday

We need to be honest about Thanksgiving. Especially this year. The problems are confounding and hard to deny.

First, there’s the obvious: a deadly pandemic that continues to spiral out of control. It doesn’t make much sense to travel and have intergenerational gatherings indoors this year. That’s a potential recipe for illness and death, not cranberry sauce.

Second, there’s the other obvious fact that the U.S. is smack dab in a racial reckoning that must extend to acknowledging the White supremacist underpinnings of this holiday. The painful reality is that the history of this Thanksgiving story celebrates colonization and, ultimately, the displacement and death of millions of Native Americans. We cannot continue celebrating under the auspice that it was just a friendly dinner between the Wampanoag people and non-Native people anymore.

Lastly, what sense does it make to celebrate by gorging on food this year while “4 in 10 Americans” are experiencing food insecurity for the first time? The absurdity of some families excessively eating for this one day when they likely have enough food every day of the year is painful.

I have nothing against a family gathering to share food, drinks, and express gratitude. That is a lovely event, post-COVID (of course). It’s the history behind this holiday and the reality of other people’s lives who don’t, or aren’t able to, celebrate that disheartens me.

So if you have the day off but either won’t be celebrating or want to work on turning this holiday’s focus towards understanding history and deepening your gratitude, then maybe try incorporating some of the following.

Learn about the Indigenous peoples whose land you occupy

(This is obviously only a recommendation for those who are not Native American and are therefore not already acutely aware.)

No matter if you are celebrating Thanksgiving or not, the number one thing to do is spend time learning about the Indigenous lands on which you currently reside. If you are unsure, then you can use this map as a guide. Research to further understand more about their way of life and, if possible, how they came to no longer be on the land where your house is now. This is not meant as a way to guilt you — you were not a direct cause of this history. It is, however, important to understand and honor the full picture of what happened before you came to live on the land where you now reside.

Debunk the Thanksgiving Myth

Get more familiar with the myth of Thanksgiving and the true story behind it. I know it may be painful to unravel a long-standing tradition in one’s family, but it needs to happen to do justice to the truth, the pain, and the marginalization of Indigenous peoples in this country.

Develop land awareness and gratitude

Have gratitude for the land where you live. Learn about the actual land. The geology, the waterways, and the animals and plants that still live there or used to live there. Gain a knowledge of the place you reside so you can express a more embodied thankfulness for it and how it supports you.

Learn about food insecurity

It may seem so basic to a lot of people — we go to the grocery store, buy groceries, and go home. But across our nation, some people go without enough food due to financial hardship, and many were hit especially hard by the pandemic. There’s also the confounding issue of food deserts which affects many Black and Latino communities and makes it difficult to even get to a grocery store. See if there’s something that you can do about this — whether it’s donating money or food or helping support a community garden in an area considered a food desert. This is not an issue that will go away after the holiday ends.

Do a 1-day juice fast

(Undertaking this would depend on your physical health and any medications you take, etc. Obviously, consult with a physician if you have concerns.)

I suggest this because I celebrated several Thanksgivings within a large friend group by doing juice fasts. I did it mostly to remind myself and those around me that we lived in a world of immense food excess every day — and we really don’t need to gorge ourselves even more than usual. In fact, we likely need to do the opposite. Can you imagine how much money would be generated for other people experiencing food insecurity if everyone donated the money they usually spent on turkey/pie/cranberry sauce to food banks or local food security projects instead?

Take a slow, long, leisurely walk

Honestly, my favorite part of my childhood Thanksgiving celebrations (ok, besides the pumpkin pie) was the long walks I’d take with my grandma and my mom after dinner. Maybe that’s a tradition in your family too? So, why not skip the enormous feast and just take the walk! Be sure to stay socially distant and go slow. Be mindful and allow your senses to really absorb the beauty. It can be found in the smallest of places; the breeze, a bug, a blade of grass, a sunbeam, a tiny flower. You don’t need to be surrounded by a forest to appreciate the natural world. There are signs of it everywhere if you are aware and open to receive.

Deepen your tree connection

Plant a tree, hug a tree, or at least learn about the symbiotic process between you as a human, and a tree. Be grateful for these gentle giants.

Spend some time appreciating the health of your body.

What is in good operating condition in your body? How can you show your body some love, as you might send love to a friend? If you are young and don’t experience any illness or disability, you need to be grateful for the health of your body since it’s so easy to take it for granted. If you are experiencing the effects of an aging body or illness or disability, then find the parts of your body that still function well, and be grateful that they do.

Personally, gratitude seems like it should be woven into the entire year — not reserved for one day or, at best, one month per year. But everyone, myself included, needs reminders.

I wish that we could nationally change this holiday to one acknowledging and celebrating Indigenous peoples rather than further marginalizing their histories. Until then, we can each take individual steps for ourselves and our families to make sure we don’t ignore the true history. And that we do all we can to shift our focus to learn from Native American ways of giving thanks — to honor the practice of gratitude and how it makes us more humble, giving, caring people.