One of the best holidays of the year is coming up soon–Thanksgiving. With food, fun, and family, who couldn’t love a holiday where you take a day or two off to eat delicious foods and end the day in a semi food coma. The leaves are still colorful, and everything from muffins to coffee creamers are pumpkin flavored. It is warm enough for a sweater and jeans but cold enough to bundle up with a warm blanket in front of a fire while sipping hot chocolate. It is the perfect mix between summer and winter as it brings the excitement of the holidays with the beginning of Christmas movies and holiday songs.

However, that’s not all we celebrate about Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims and their landing at Plymouth inspire many to dress in Pilgrim themed attire (featuring gold buckles on black, top hats) and coloring pages with anything from turkeys to the Mayflower. More importantly, however is the reason why we celebrate Thanksgiving in the first place. When the Pilgrims first landed in Plymouth, they did not have the food or the skills necessary to survive. Thankfully, the Pilgrims met Squanto, an English-speaking Native American. He taught the Pilgrims how to grow corn, fish, and hunt, bridging the gap between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims. In 1621, the Pilgrims shared a famous feast with the Native Americans to celebrate their first harvest. This became the basis for our Thanksgiving, later declared a national holiday by Lincoln after the Civil War in 1863. From then on, the fourth Thursday in November became the official day of thanks.

This year, Media Office is challenging RMA to a gratitude challenge. On the orange poster in the cafeteria, write down what you are thankful for. Let’s see how many we can write down before Thanksgiving break and continue to be thankful for all of our many blessings.