November 24th, 2013

Thanksgiving

by Brian Walker, Greg Walker and Chance Browne

Abraham Lincoln designated Thursday November 26, 1863 as a day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”  It has been an official federal holiday, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, since 1941.

Norman Rockwell’s painting, “Freedom from Want,” first published in The Saturday Evening Post on March 6, 1943, is the classic image of a traditional American Thanksgiving family dinner.  Rockwell acknowledged that this was an idealized depiction when he said, “I paint life as I would like it to be.”

“Freedom from Want” by Norman Rockwell, 1943.

This image has also been a source for satire and parody.  The television series, Modern Family, recreated the scene as a “Tableau Vivant” in an episode broadcast on May 16, 2012.

Modern Family Thanksgiving, May 16, 2012.

Rockwell was also referenced in this Hi and Lois strip from 2008.

Hi and Lois daily strip, November 27, 2008.

Since Thanksgiving is always celebrated on a Thursday, we usually acknowledge the holiday in a daily strip.  The National Football League has been playing games on Thanksgiving since its inception in 1920.  Currently there are three games played during the day, with the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions traditionally hosting two of them.

Here is a football-themed strip from 2002.

Hi and Lois daily strip, November 28, 2002.

On a few occasions, we have featured a Thanksgiving Sunday page on the weekend before the official celebration.  In this episode from 1997, each member of the Flagston family shares what they are thankful for.

Hi and Lois Sunday page, November 23, 1997.

We hope your Thanksgiving is stuffed with good food, football and family fun.

– Brian Walker