Happy Thanksgiving!
November 25, 2025 by Bradford Intern
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It is a holiday intended to promote the virtue that we too often neglect: THANKFULNESS. We do that by getting together with family and eating! It is a reminder that our God is good and does good things. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High! Psalm 92:1
With every bite of that sweet potato pie, dripping with butter and brown sugar, or turkey with stuffing and gravy, cranberry sauce, or pecan pie, it is a wonderful opportunity to praise God by partaking of his gifts with joy. My mouth waters just thinking about it.
When Governor William Bradford instituted that first Thanksgiving Feast, we can imagine how he might have directed the people of Plymouth to turn their hearts and minds to their present blessings and give praise for the goodness of God. They had plenty to grieve over, but instead, they celebrated. Let us all likewise turn our minds from those things that weigh us down and instead praise Him who does good! Happy Thanksgiving!
P.S. We have very little information about the 1621 Thanksgiving Feast. As a matter of fact we only have two accounts, about a paragraph each. You can read them below…
From William Bradford, who wrote in his account, “They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.“
From Edward Winslow in his 1622 book, Mourt’s Relation, we read, “...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 labors; 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 amongst 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 they 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.“
From the Pilgrims’ Hall Museum