Most au pairs will be experiencing their very first Thanksgiving celebration this year. Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to gather with family and friends for holiday meals. It is a time of giving thanks for all of our blessings. There will be football games and parades, but “feasting” is the most significant activity that occurs on Thanksgiving Day. The main food for the feast is roasted turkey with dressing, usually accompanied by mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, cranberry sauce , fall vegetables and pumpkin pie.

History of Thanksgiving
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. The following website includes the history of thanksgiving and lots of activities that au pairs can enjoy with their children.
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/