NEWS
November 21, 2023
Friends,
I don’t know about you, but for me, the fall – especially the days from November 1 though Thanksgiving, is my favorite time of the year. Crisp morning air, bright, beautiful fall colors and the prospect of spending time with visiting family members, are all parts of this wonderful season.
It also brings back fond memories of pre-Thanksgiving activities at grade school in rural New Jersey: cutting out and coloring paper turkeys to proudly show mom and dad; drawing and coloring a large bulletin-board mural depicting scenes of the pilgrims and native Americans celebrating the first Thanksgiving; and trying out our rudimentary culinary skills by mixing and cooking cornbread for Thanksgiving dinner. All this while debating whether the jellied or the whole berry version of cranberry sauce is the authentic one.
We also talked about the history of Thanksgiving, the pilgrims, the Mayflower and why turkey became the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal. But recently I read some interesting ‘little known facts’ (or maybe fictions) about Thanksgiving:
· The song ‘Jingle Bells’ was written in celebration of Thanksgiving, not Christmas.
· Thanksgiving became a national holiday when it was proclaimed by President Lincoln in 1863
· The Pilgrim’s thanksgiving feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 1. It lasted 3 days and included about 50 surviving Pilgrims and about 90 Wampanog Indians, Including Chief Massaoit.
· While cranberry sauce is a staple of today’s Thanksgiving table, cranberries were actually used by Native Americans to treat arrow wounds and die clothing.
· Considered the ’Mother of Thanksgiving,’ Sara Hale (1788 – 1879) was an influential writer and editor who urged President Lincoln to proclaim a national day of Thanksgiving. She suggested the last Thursday in November because “harvest was over, elections were done and summer travelers were home”. She believed a national day of Thanksgiving would unite Americans in the midst of dramatic social and industrial change and “awaken in Americans’ hearts the love of home and country, of thankfulness to God and peace between brethren”.
· The average American will consume about 4500 calories on Thanksgiving Day (on a related note, the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day for plumbing service company Roto-Rooter – You can probably imagine why!)
DETAILS OF THE SALE
-THE SALE BEGINS TODAY, TUESAY, NOVEMBER 21 AND ENDS OF SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26.
-IT PROVIDES FOR 20% OFF THE PRICE OF ALL ITEMS ON CHRIS’S WEBSITE (WWW.CHRISRUSH.COM)
-THE SALE PRICES APPLY ONLY FOR ORDERS PLACED VIA THAT WEBSITE.
Reminder: Our final ‘in person’ craft show of this season will be the ‘Bizarre Bazaar’ at the Richmond (VA) International Raceway, November 30th through December 3, 2023. If you can make it, we look forward to greeting you there. We also want to say ‘thank you’ to all of you who have visited our booth at earlier craft shows and those who have placed orders with Chris Rush Designs throughout the past year!!
One closing note: Chris’s website will be inactive from December 15, 2023, until January 2, 2024. No purchase orders will be processed until January 3, 2024.
Alan and I wish each of you, and your families a Happy Thanksgiving, a Blessed Christmas season and wonderful 2024!
Blessings,
Chris