For many, Thanksgiving is all about the consumption of turkey and the leftover turkey sandwiches the next day. But what about the turkeys? Every year millions of turkeys are raised for the sole purpose of becoming meals on Thanksgiving. How does this help us to give thanks?
Some might choose to ignore this fact, perhaps because they like that part of Thanksgiving, because to them, Thanksgiving = Turkey. They will defend the tradition, stating that we need to eat and that raising fowl for food is just something that is done; it is part of nature’s way, part of the food chain.
And yet there are many people who will do without the turkey, in the hopes that they will follow the President’s lead and pardon a turkey of their own. Perhaps they’ll be fine with eating just the pumpkin pie and the stuffing, for Thanksgiving IS the same to them even without the Turkey. It is a time for family, for togetherness, and yes for eating but eating other things perhaps not dictated by traditions. If you choose to start a tradition of your own, share your viewpoints and send some ecards from the Thanksgiving section that make a statement about saving the Turkeys and doing something new for a change. You never know, you might cause someone to go vegetarian this Thanksgiving! And that is ok, because it is still Thanksgiving, even without the turkey.