By: Taylor Briscoe

Turkey, family, and the smell of fall; ah Thanksgiving!  It is very difficult to focus on anything but food, but it does not hurt to take a second out of the special day to remember the real purpose; to give thanks for all blessings.  Now that the true meaning of Thanksgiving has been acknowledged, prepare to learn some fun facts about this giving holiday!

• The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted for three whole days; try to fathom the amount of food the average American would consume nowadays if the holiday lasted for three days!
• Californians are actually the largest consumers of turkey.
• The first Thanksgiving meal was said to have included foods such as onions, leeks, and even rabbit!
• Turkey has more overall protein than either beef or chicken – eat up!
• About 280 million turkeys are sold each year in the United States to celebrate Thanksgiving.
• The pilgrims used every tool to eat their first Thanksgiving meal, besides the common fork!
• Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the turkey the national bird of the United States.
• Although Thanksgiving is known as an American holiday, Canadians join in on the fun every year on the second Monday in October.