Waitrose and Thanksgiving

Who is Nonu?

Do you REALLY want to know?

That's a bit rude Desdemona. - who are you?

Nonu is a GN member who posts quite a lot.

I don't remember seeing your name before, Desdemona. Have you just joined?

How is Othello, still insanely jealous?

There I was happily reading about Thanksgiving and preparing to stick my two pennothworth in, turn the page and suddenly it's jumped to Nonu. Is this some deep meaningful logic too clever for my little brain? Please can someone explain.

Perhaps it was my ref to Nonu on p 1. Surprised we haven't heard from her on this topic

One doesn't even have to buy a turkey to celebrate Christmas.

Have people forgotten how to ignore advertising?

I've no idea what we will eat to celebrate the passing of the shortest day. The eating part isn't all that important for me, though I know it was in the past when storing food just to survive the winter was a Big Deal. For me, the winter solstice is more about light.

Well here I am to put you out of your misery soutra, I am quite ambivalent about Thanksgiving.Mind you, I cannot really blame Waitrose for jumping on the bandwagon.

a] I have never been in the US of A around that time.

b] I think it very is nice for them, seems to be a big occasion for them , chance to get all family together. Not something I have really put my mind to though TBF

c] Also of course they don"t celebrate Boxing Day, as we do, so that probably makes up for it
.
However my DD has been to a Thankgiving Dinner, a couple of times hosted by friends[not American] . Perhaps Bournville is trying to set up a new tradition. Who know"s , chuckle .

Happy day,everyone.
I will return !
x

Hi Brusselsgran I am also in Brussels and until reading this post thought i was the only Gransnetter here. Nice to see another Brusselsgran.

I think Desdemona was asking a reasonable question [who is Nonu?] It is at the start of the thread, and Soutra mentioned her name, but Desdemona was not to know that! So Hi Desdemona, keep posting on here.
If Waitrose want to flog more turkeys then you can't blame them for the advertising, but it is ridiculous.

Hi Brusselsgran

I thought I read on another thread that Hallowe'en was exported from Scotland to America and back here again!

But not Thanksgiving please! What is the point, unless we are supposed to be giving thanks for getting rid of those pesky Pilgrim Fathers?

(Before anyone shouts at me about religious persecution, some of my ancestors were Huguenots!)

Rosesarered---------- Much Chuckling !!

Rosequartz----------- Some of my ancestors were also Huguenots,snap , small world eh !! Still there were quite a lot of them about !

Yes Nonu it was high time you were 'outed'

L O L!

Come on then Nonu - what's your verdict on Thanksgiving?

See Nonu's post of 14.12 today, Soutra!

I was in Waitrose this afternoon. I didn't notice anything about Thanksgiving. Maybe there wasn't anything, maybe I'm even more immune to sales pushes than I thought I was, or maybe it hasn't made it to the frozen north yet.

roseq, I've an American sister-in-law and she would tell you we Europeans should be giving thanks for having got rid of those pesky Pilgrim fathers—she reckons they were the antecedents of many of America's current religious nutters whom Europe was, and is, well rid of—except that there seems to be a new breed here now supporting Islamist extremists . Human beings are so weird sometimes.

On point A]
I always return to UK, about the second week of October for two reasons

a] the nights are drawing in

b] It is getting colder, except in California where we have taken to going to, of late .

c] my Birthday has passed
ss

Sorry- missed your post first time round Nonu.

On December 11, 1621, Edward Winslow wrote the following description of the festival

"Our corn did prove well, and God be praised, we had a good increase of Indian corn, and our barley indifferent good, but our peas not worth the gathering, for we feared they were too late sown, they came up very well, and blossomed, but the sun parched them in the blossom.

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 fruit 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 among 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"

Sounds like some party! The immigrants making friends with the welcoming indigenous folk!

Come on SOUTRA,old bean, get with the programme !"!

Less of the "old", old bean!

x

I love Thanksgiving, which I have celebrated with American friends in Minnesota as winter set in, and with ex pat American friends here. As someone said earlier, it is non political, non denominational (well, fairly...) which is excellent.

I don't see the need, apart from commercial exigencies of course, for supermarkets to plug it here.