“News from the Hut”
for American Legion Post #142; Hominy, Oklahoma.
>>> by Gary Lanham

This is a week probably filled with football game discussions (it was here!) and preparations for the Thanksgiving Day Holiday. The tradition of celebrating the holiday on Thursday, dates back to the early history of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, when post-harvest holidays were celebrated on the weekday regularly set aside as “Lecture Day,” a midweek church meeting where topical sermons were presented. A famous Thanksgiving observance occurred in the autumn of 1621, when Plymouth governor William Bradford invited local Indians to join the Pilgrims in a three-day festival, held in gratitude for the bounty of the season.

Thanksgiving became an annual custom throughout New England in the 17th century, and in 1777 the Continental Congress declared the first national American Thanksgiving following the Patriot victory at Saratoga. In 1789, President George Washington became the first president to proclaim a Thanksgiving holiday, when, at the request of Congress, he proclaimed November 26, a Tuesday, as a day of national thanksgiving for the U.S. Constitution.

However, it was not until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to fall on the last Thursday of November, that the modern holiday was celebrated nationally. With a few deviations, Lincoln’s precedent was followed annually by every subsequent president–until 1939. In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt departed from tradition by declaring November 23, the next to last Thursday that year, as Thanksgiving Day.

Considerable controversy surrounded this deviation, and some Americans refused to honor Roosevelt’s declaration. For the next two years, Roosevelt repeated the unpopular proclamation, but on November 26, 1941, he admitted his mistake and signed a bill into law officially making the last Thursday in November the national holiday of Thanksgiving Day. (This day in Military History)

The Christmas Parade is next on our schedule. The date is December 6th, Saturday at 0930 (that’s AM for the USAF types). I have confirmed CANDY will be part of the festivities. I imagine it will be a cold so bundle up the youngsters. I know I will be toting a thermos of hot chocolate!

The Christmas Legion-Auxiliary Dinner will be Friday, December 12th at 6:00PM at the Hut. Legion will provide the meat and Auxiliary/and members spouses/selves will provide the sides. Members are asked to bring a personal care item donation for the Bryce House in Tulsa that takes care of homeless veterans. They sure can use some personal care items such as soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, Polident for dentures, jersey gloves (the brown ones) and socks. We will have a box set up for the donations and the Auxiliary will take them over. We may do, may even sing Christmas carols! If this changes any other meeting schedules I will be sure to update later.

Our regular meetings are the first and third Thursdays at 7:00 PM (4th and 18th December right now). Monday morning Koffee Klatch meetings in November are still up (if weather permits); and running starting around 0700 till about 0900. Thanks to the crew there is usually biscuits and gravy, and maybe a waffle or two and always a cup of Joe (coffee to the civilians). If you are a veteran come on by. If you have a good story it may end up in print! Also keep up with us at website “americanlegion142.org”. Happy Thanksgiving to my buddies at “The Hut” and to all of you!