Thanksgiving Day has arrived with a three-day weekend across most of the country which signals the start of autumn in Canada. This year it lands on Monday, October 12.
Thanksgiving Day has been celebrated on the second Monday of October to since 1957 but has history dating as far back as 1578. Martin Frobisher led a communion of salt beef, biscuits, and mushy peas to celebrate the safe arrival of Europeans in North America in an area that is now called Nunavut.
Thanksgiving Day in Canada has its history rooted in thanking God for safety but has, in modern history been combined with the autumnal history of harvest festivals celebrating bountiful crops. Today, it marks a social occasion to gather the family together to mark the start of autumn and celebrate the good food of the season.
Social events are a great way of bringing people – families, friends, neighbors, and communities – together in a singular purpose with unity. This is important as we get older because as many as 30 per cent of Canadian senior citizens are currently estimated to be at risk of becoming socially isolated. According to Statistics Canada up to 24 per cent of Canadians over age 65 feel socially isolated.
Thanksgiving is a time to reconnect and take time to visit family or have the family over to visit. Longer distances are easier to traverse with an extra day in hand. Having a home that is comfortable for hosting makes having guests over so much easier to manage.
At Stiltz Home Elevators, our range of residential elevators help to make tiding up and moving things around the house much easier without risk of trips and falls. It also saves your energy reserves for socialising and making memories, enjoying the celebration of giving thanks for everything that we have. A home lift warmly welcomes guests who can take their luggage upstairs comfortably and in style.
You could hold a more modern party with a buffet style offering or stick with the traditions that are dear to our heart. A traditional turkey dinner can be prepared, complimented with autumnal-themed goodies such as yams, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and squash. Make sure to incorporate some Canadian bacon for that salty twang! A pumpkin pie for pudding rounds off a traditional take on the festivities. The scent of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove are the smells of an autumnal feast.
Alternatively follow Newfoundlanders and hark back to Frobisher’s original feast and serve Jiggs’ dinner or Ontarians and their butter tarts. Whatever the tradition of your family or region, taking time to connect with family, friends and neighbors is important for giving thanks, for fighting against social isolation and supporting social cohesion and wellbeing.
Check for any local events such as the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day Parade. Consider volunteering or getting involved in supporting these events as volunteering can give a great boost to wellbeing and connectedness.
It is important to take time to reflect on what you are thankful for this year. Happy Thanksgiving!