For most of us, Thanksgiving is a time when we gather with family and friends to share good times. We eat well, and in abundance, and then collapse on the sofa in front of the television set for a round of football games.
Most of us say grace before the feast, of course, but that's about as far as the "giving thanks" part of the day goes.
Our Pilgrim forefathers would be disappointed, though not for the reason you might expect.
They might think our present celebration a bit tame. After all, what we traditionally think of as the first Thanksgiving back in 1621 was a three-day party of eating, drinking and games, shared with Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe and their king, Massasoit.
For the next 200 years or so, days set aside to give thanks were sporadic. Some were declared on a national level, some by states, and in many cases they were just community events. They usually had nothing to do with the Pilgrims at Plymouth. They might be in gratitude for a successful battle or a particularly bountiful harvest. It wasn't until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November (since changed to the fourth Thursday) as a national day of thanksgiving that the tradition we know began to develop.
Even then the association with the Pilgrims took some time and was more the result of marketing than remembrance. Over the years the turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie became indispensable parts of the tradition.
And the mass marketing of television sets brought another and equally indispensable part to the mix-football.
Yes, we think of our Thanksgiving celebration as very old indeed. But while the distant roots are in Plymouth, most of the elements we consider traditional are actually fairly modern in the great scheme of things.
But that's fine. The important parts of Thanksgiving are family and friends. That tradition is both very old and timeless.
And giving thanks. Perhaps this year, especially in a time when it seems our country is divided more now than in many years, it would do us all good to reflect on what brings us together rather than what keeps us apart.
Because no matter what, there is still plenty to be grateful for here in the U.S.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.