Tag Archives: Abraham Lincoln

The Snood and Wattle Make the Gobble!

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The Snood and Wattle Make the Gobble!

“Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with others they only see once a year, & then discover once a year is way too often.” ~Johnny Carson

Kicking off Thanksgiving Day with some fun facts and we might have a few you haven’t heard before.

Here we go with 25 Totally Random & Fun Facts for Thanksgiving!


  1. The first Thanksgiving was held in the fall of 1621. There were approximately 50 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians. Aside from the huge difference in what was served then, and now, their feast lasted three days!
  2. Thanksgiving can take place as early as November 22 and as late as November 28. (Hint: it’s always the 4th Thursday!)
  3. 91% of Americans eat TURKEY for Thanksgiving.
  4. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the 2nd oldest Thanksgiving parade. (Gimbels Department Store was first!)
  5. Baby turkeys are called poults and male turkeys are called gobblers.
  6. Sarah Josepha Hale was an American magazine editor and also an author. She is credited for campaigning to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. But did you know she also wrote Mary Had a Little Lamb?
  7. The snood (male turkeys only, please) is the red growth coming from the forehead. The part underneath the throat is the wattle.
  8. The Snoopy balloon has appeared in the Macy’s Parade more often than any other character.Snoopy-Balloon-Picture-at-Macys-Thanksgiving-Day-Parade-NYC-Steve-Weintraub
  9. The name turkey goes way back to when the Europeans discovered how much they loved the guinea fowl that was imported to their continent by, you guessed it, Turkish merchants! Then, when the Spaniards came to America, they found a bird that tasted like the guinea fowl and they called it turkey also.
  10. Thanksgiving was traditionally celebrated on the last Thursday of November, set by Abraham Lincoln. But in 1939, President Roosevelt pushed it up a week early. Why, you ask? To increase the time for Christmas shopping during the Great Depression!
  11. Only male turkeys, called toms, gobble. Females, or hens, cackle. (No comments from the male population, thank you very much.)
  12. TV-DinnerSwanson TV Dinners were born out of the over-abundance of leftover frozen Thanksgiving turkeys. Who knew?
  13. 3,000 is the number of calories consumed by the average person during a Thanksgiving dinner. Don’t forget that most families eat at least twice that day and snack on rich desserts and appetizers in between which can bump it up as high as 4,000-6,000 calories. That would require eight hours of exercise to burn it off. Yikes!
  14. Let’s add to #13 and insert that it has been estimated that the original Thanksgiving gatherers only consumed about 550 calories at their feast…probably no pies or stuffing.
  15. Another DID YOU KNOW: Californians consume more turkeys than any other state.
  16. More than 44 million people watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV every year. Three million actually attend in person. It’s a miracle….on 34th Street (ba-dum-bump…The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade starts at 77th St and Central Park West and heads down to 34th Street in Herald Square.)
  17. A 25 pound turkey contains about 70% white meat and 30% dark. (What’s your favorite?)
  18. Wild turkeys can run 20 miles per hour when they are scared!
  19. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s first meal in space, after walking on the moon, was roasted turkey in neat, little aluminum foil packets.
  20. large_24099One dish I personally can pass on is the Green Bean Casserole. Campbell’s Soup created it for an annual cookbook over 50 years ago and they now sell $20 million+ worth of cream of mushroom soup for Thanksgiving. (Will it be on your table?)
  21. The first Pilgrims did not have forks. They used spoons, knives and, ahem, their fingers. Some things never change.
  22. It is believed that only FIVE women were present at the first Thanksgiving. Many of the women settlers didn’t survive the extremely difficult first year on new soil.
  23. Every year, since 1975, there is another celebration on Thanksgiving Day on the island of Alcatraz. It is called UN-Thanksgiving Day, commemorating the survival of Native Americans after the Europeans settled in America.
  24. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, cranberries were originally used by Native Americans to treat arrow wounds and also to dye their clothes! (Canned or fresh on your table?) 
  25. And finally, I have saved the best for last! Turkeys….wait for it….have heart attacks! The United States Air Force conducted test runs that were breaking the sound barrier. Nearby was a flock of turkeys that promptly dropped dead. Death by heart attack.

Share with us some of the family traditions you will be partaking in or feel free to comment on any or all of the trivia info! We would love for you to join the conversation. Have a blessed day with your family and friends. 

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The Sad Story behind “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”

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Surely this Christmas carol from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is one of our most beloved. It is a beautiful medley with even more hauntingly poetic lyrics. Longfellow also penned the words to such classics as Paul Revere’s Ride and The Song of Hiawatha.

When he wrote this Christmas treasure in 1864, the Civil War was still going strong, although Abraham Lincoln had just been reelected and there was hope that it would soon come to an end.

Henry and his wife Fanny were blessed with five children, Charles, Ernest, Alice, Edith and Allegra, and they made their home in Massachusetts.  In the summer of 1861, they were suffering a terrible heat wave and Fanny had decided to trim some of the heavy curls of their seven year old daughter, Edith. After she was finished, she wanted to preserve them and seal the locks in wax.

As she heated the wax to seal the envelope, some of it fell onto her thin dress and she did not notice it right away. The warm summer breeze blowing through the window set the dress on fire. Fanny went running into Henry’s study and he tried to put it out with a small rug. When that did not work, he threw his arms around her to put out the flames and sustained terrible burns on his hands, arms and face.

Fanny Longfellow died the next morning.

A merry Christmas, say the children, but that is no more for me.   ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Between his grief and the severe injuries, Henry was not even able to attend her funeral. Fanny was the love of his life. She was the Sweet Hesperus he wrote about in The Evening Star.  “O my beloved, my sweet Hesperus! My morning and my evening star of love!”

Tragedy wasn’t over for the Longfellow family. In late 1863, his eldest son Charles, now a Lieutenant, had been severely wounded and crippled in battle. Longfellow, who kept a journal, didn’t post anything for Christmas that year. Heartache was taking a toll on his family.

The following year, on Christmas Day, 1864, Longfellow penned the words to the familiar carol we all love. You can sense his despair turning to hope as he writes, “God is not dead nor does He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail!”

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Because of Christmas, we have an eternal Hope that will overcome the heartbreak we suffer here!

Hope prevails! Longfellow heard the bells on that Christmas Day so long ago in spite of the grief and misfortunes that had plagued his family for several years.

Hope was born one Christmas morning! “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2.

This song is so precious to me; the words seem to leap off the page when you get to the last stanza! Aren’t you glad to know your God is not dead; He does not sleep! He has everything under control and we can rest in His peace.

Do not let this Christmas season pass without stopping to pause and give thanks for that Hope. Take time to talk to the Savior who came so that we might be blessed with peace, joy and righteousness in our lives today. Even if our world is crumbling around us, we take comfort in knowing that all is well with our soul. He is our Hope!

Nannette Christmas

Mr. Lincoln, today is your birthday

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Growing up in a small town elementary school in the 60’s meant big celebrations. We celebrated Christmas, and we were allowed to call it Christmas. We decorated for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and all four seasons. I can fondly remember my teacher in each grade changing out the bulletin boards and putting up matching alphabet cutouts for each new quarter.

But one of my favorite holidays was President’s Day. I loved Mr. Washington and Mr. Lincoln. They were bigger than life to a tiny, single-digit little girl in southern Indiana. I could hardly contain myself to think that the 16th president of the United States of America actually LIVED nearby ME 100 years before? Holy Top Hat, Batman!

I remember clearly the presidential silhouettes of Lincoln and Washington in our classroom. There was so much respect, honor and dignity associated with those two heroes. We were taught to be appreciative of what they had done to shape this great nation. There was no one to tell me otherwise, I wouldn’t have cared that they weren’t perfect, I would have still been in awe that the good they had accomplished meant that I lived in freedom.

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Sixteenth president. Preserved the Union during the Civil War and brought about the Emancipation Proclamation, setting countless thousands free.

Perfect? Most certainly not. Controversial to some? Certainly. This post isn’t about controversy; it’s an abbreviated look at a man who seems to have learned to rely on Almighty God through experience and tragedy.

Abraham Lincoln experienced much misfortune and heartbreak in his shortened life. His brother, Thomas, died as an infant. When Abraham was nine, his mother Nancy passed away of milk sickness at the age of only 34. Before he could become properly engaged to Anne Rutledge, typhoid fever entered New Salem and Anne died…at 22 years old. Lincoln married Mary Todd in 1842 and they had four children together, only one of them, Robert, grew to adulthood. (Eddie died in 1850 of tuberculosis; Willie died of a fever in 1862. Tad died of heart failure at the age of 18, in 1871.)

Inaugurated to the presidency in March, 1861, and by April, Fort Sumter, South Carolina, was already under siege, the beginnings of America’s most deadly conflict.

Nancy Todd Lincoln, in her grief over the death of Willie, only 11, turned to New Age mediums hoping they could help her cope with the loss. Lincoln? He sought out Phineas Gurley who was pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington where the Lincoln’s regularly attended.

When Lincoln assumed the presidency, he said, “I was brought to a living reflection that nothing in my power whatever would succeed without the direct assistance of the Almighty. I have often wished that I was a more devout man than I am. Nevertheless, amid the greatest difficulties of my Administration, when I could not see any other resort, I would place my whole reliance on God, knowing that all would go well, and that He would decide for the right.”

Dr. James Smith, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield where President and Mrs. Lincoln attended for many years before moving to Washington, said this about the President’s faith:

“Dr. Smith explained how he provided Lincoln with a copy of his book and during this time Smith had been praying for a period of weeks that “the Spirit of Truth might lead him into the kingdom of Truth. And such was the result … Lincoln came forth from this examination … a believer in God, in His Providential government, in His Son, the way, the truth and the life. And from that time [nearly seven years] to this day, Lincoln’s life has proved the genuineness of his conversion to the Christian faith.”

Today, there is hardly any celebration for President Lincoln’s birthday. Only four remaining states actually celebrate his birthday on its date. Presidents Day, as we call it, only commemorates Washington’s Birthday; there is technically no national holiday called Presidents Day. The third Monday in February is the date set aside for the federal Washington’s Birthday holiday under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1971.

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Did you know more states celebrate Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, the holiday instituted by Lincoln) than Lincoln’s birthday?

Black Friday’s PTO in 18 states! Walmart is more important than honoring founding fathers.

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Here is some interesting Lincoln trivia for you:

  • He was the only president to have a patent: Lincoln invented a device to free steamboats that ran aground.
  • He practiced law without a degree.
  • He wanted women to have the vote in 1836.
  • Lincoln loved to eat oysters.
  • He used the telegraph like email to communicate with generals.
  • He loved to wrestle!
  • Lincoln’s cat ate at the White House dinner table. (Disgust!)
  • His dog was named Fido; cat was named Tabby.
  • He read the Bible every day.
  • He didn’t drink, smoke, or chew.
  • He didn’t have a middle name and he hated being called Abe.
  • Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
  • Grave robbers tried to steal Lincoln’s body in 1876.
  • He was photographed with John Wilkes Booth at his second inauguration.
  • Lincoln kept his important documents inside his hat.
  • He was the first president with a beard.
  • Lincoln’s shoe size was between 12 and 14.
  • His coffin has been opened five times.
  • Lincoln didn’t attend his father’s funeral.
  • Ulysses S. Grant was to be his guest at Ford’s Theater. He cancelled at the last minute.

So, happy 206th birthday, Mr. President. You weren’t perfect by any means…come to think of it I do not know any perfect people here on this earth and I certainly cannot start the club. But for all you did to make this country great, we thank you.

“Trusting in Him, who can go with me, and remain with you and be every where for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”
Farewell Address on February 11, 1861

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DF-cover-side-viewDon’t forget your copy of The Daniel Fast, A Devotional. Great for ANY FAST or prayer journey. On Amazon in paperback and Kindle and Barnes and Noble too! Be blessed!

 

 

 

1. Reinhard N. Luthin, The Real Abraham Lincoln, p. 398.

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