Thanksgiving : Give Thanks, It’s Good For You!

Give Thanks – It’s Good for You!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, a time when families gather around a table piled high with food, traditions, and gratitude. While we think of Thanksgiving today as a uniquely American holiday, the practice of giving thanks for harvests, blessings, and life itself stretches back thousands of years.

From the ancient Celts celebrating Samhain, to the Hebrews offering first fruits, to the Puritans sharing a feast of survival in a strange new land, gratitude has always been at the heart of human culture. What these early peoples may not have realized — but modern science now confirms — is that gratitude isn’t just spiritually uplifting, it’s physically and emotionally good for you.

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The Historical Roots of Thanksgiving

The holiday we know today traces its roots to 1621 in Plymouth Colony. After a brutal first winter that killed nearly half the settlers, the surviving Puritans celebrated a successful harvest with a three-day feast. They were joined by members of the Wampanoag tribe, whose agricultural knowledge helped the settlers survive.

But the Puritans weren’t the first to hold harvest thanksgivings:

• Native American traditions: Long before Europeans arrived, many tribes held annual ceremonies of thanks for the earth’s bounty. The Iroquois had a Green Corn Festival, while other tribes celebrated the seasonal hunts and harvests.
  

• European roots: The Puritans themselves were influenced by England’s annual “Harvest Home” festivals, where communities gave thanks for crops and survival before the winter.

• Global echoes: Across cultures, the end of harvest has always been marked with feasts of gratitude — from the Jewish festival of Sukkot to China’s Mid-Autumn Festival.
  

Thanksgiving, then, is both uniquely American and part of a much older global rhythm of gratitude.

Gratitude Is Good for Your Health

What the Puritans and Wampanoag celebrated as survival, modern science now confirms as survival skill: gratitude keeps us healthy, resilient, and happy.

Professor Robert Emmons, a leading gratitude researcher at the University of California, Davis, conducted studies showing that people who practiced gratitude regularly:

• Exercised more often

• Reported fewer physical symptoms

• Slept better

• Felt more optimistic about the week ahead

• Made greater progress toward personal goals
  

In other words: gratitude strengthens both body and mind.

Even more fascinating, people with a natural tendency toward gratitude showed:

• Greater empathy for others

• Lower levels of envy

• Less emphasis on material possessions

• A higher willingness to share and give

Gratitude, it turns out, not only benefits you personally — it makes you a better member of your community.

Cultivating a Grateful Spirit

So how can you develop a true practice of gratitude — one that goes deeper than just saying “thanks” at the dinner table?

1. Keep a Gratitude Journal

Studies show that journaling even once a week improves mood and optimism. Each day, jot down one or two things you are grateful for — big or small.

2. Practice Mindfulness

Pause throughout the day and simply notice what’s around you — the birds outside your window, the kindness of a stranger, the meal on your plate. Gratitude grows in the present moment.

3. Reframe the Negatives

Gratitude doesn’t deny hardship; it gives us strength to meet it. Instead of focusing on “life is unfair,” gratitude shifts your mindset toward resilience: “This is hard, but I have the strength, support, and faith to face it.”

4. Give Back

One of the most powerful findings in gratitude research is that those who feel grateful are more likely to help others. The act of giving reinforces gratitude, creating a cycle of meaning and connection.

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Thanksgiving Traditions of Gratitude Around the World

While Americans feast on turkey and pumpkin pie, other cultures celebrate gratitude in their own unique ways:

• Canada celebrates Thanksgiving in October, tied more closely to European harvest festivals.

• Japan holds Kinro Kansha no Hi (Labor Thanksgiving Day), honoring hard work and community.

• Germany’s Erntedankfest includes parades, church services, and lantern walks.

• Liberia, founded by freed American slaves, celebrates Thanksgiving with roasted chicken, mashed cassava, and music.

• Grenada marks it in October, tied to its own history and U.S. intervention in the 1980s.
  

This shows that while the foods and customs vary, the heartbeat of gratitude is universal.

Gratitude in Daily Life

It’s easy to think gratitude is reserved for holidays, but its true power unfolds in daily practice:

• The bus arriving on time.

• A heartfelt laugh with a friend.

• The sound of rain on the roof.

• The fact that your heart, like a faithful old engine, still beats. Even the smallest things — the “silver linings” — are worthy of acknowledgment. And when you train yourself to notice them, life begins to feel fuller, richer, and more blessed.

  
  

Why Gratitude Matters for the Soul

At its core, gratitude is a spiritual practice. It acknowledges that life itself is a gift. Whether you believe that gift comes from God, Spirit, the Universe, or the intricate dance of chance and choice, gratitude turns ordinary living into a sacred act.

And it’s contagious. Gratitude shifts not only your own energy, but also the energy of those around you. When you give thanks, you remind others to notice the blessings in their own lives.

This Thanksgiving, Give Thanks

Thanksgiving Give Thanks.

As you gather around your table this Thanksgiving, remember that gratitude isn’t just about the feast or the family photo. It’s about weaving thankfulness into the fabric of everyday life.

Start small. Write one thing you’re grateful for each night before bed. Pause for one mindful breath in the middle of your busiest day. Say “thank you” — and mean it.

Because gratitude isn’t just good manners. It’s good for your body, your mind, your relationships, and your soul.

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