One of the more famous Thanksgiving traditions, at least in America, is having a Thanksgiving turkey for the celebratory dinner. There have been many different reasons given over the years as to why this particular bird is such a popular choice for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners.
So popular, in fact, that Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey, not the Bald Eagle, the national bird of the United States!
While brined pork and ham were both available, many felt that it was not a fitting meal for the day of thanks. As well, feasting on a Thanksgiving turkey was in keeping with the British holiday custom that settlers brought with them to the New World.
Among the available birds, the turkey appeared to be the most ideal for an autumn feast, as the chicks born in the spring would have approximately 7 months in which to grow fat, just in time for the Thanksgiving table.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln finally declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, yet by that time the Thanksgiving turkey was pretty much a family tradition for all.
Some feel that when Scrooge gave the gift of a holiday turkey to the Cratchit family, in Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” that it seemed to forever cement the turkey’s place, as well as its familiar sidekicks dressing and gravy, as the fitting choice for all future Thanksgiving and Christmas Day feasts.
To read more Celebrating Holiday Traditions With Thanksgiving Turkey
