According to Wikipedia, �Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American holiday, which is a form of harvest festival�. This is a day one expresses thanks and appreciation for his/her material and spiritual possessions.

Most people celebrate this day over a grand holiday feast, in the presence of their family and friends. Roasted turkeys are often served over dinner, so much so that Thanksgiving is sometimes known as �Turkey Day�. Other dishes commonly associated with Thanksgiving are also pumpkin pies, mash potatoes, ham, deviled eggs, green bean casserole, 'combread', salads and others served over cocktails, wine, unfermented apple cider or sweetened iced tea!

How did it evolve?
The history of Thanksgiving travels a long way back. As to when Thanksgiving truly started is still a mystery. Early evidence has it that the first Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565, in what now is Saint Augustine, Florida. With reference to the contrary, the first Thanksgiving occurred at Plymouth Plantation, in the autumn of 1621. In celebration of a good harvest year, the Pilgrims then had a three-day celebration/feasting with the local Indians. This �First Thanksgiving� however, was simply a gathering, not a holiday.

The Thanksgiving we now know and celebrate can be traced back to 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln became the first president to proclaim it. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of each November in the United States (and the second Monday of October in Canada). Thanksgiving was officially proclaimed as a federal holiday in 1941 and the Friday after it (or more commonly known as the Black Friday) is often a paid-holiday for many U.S. Workforce, schools and colleges, marking the the start of the holiday season and also, Christmas shopping!

In United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated with street parades, footballs, parties and family vacations. While many spend time at home, more people are using this holiday as a time for a short getaway. The Thanksgiving weekend is said to be one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Whatever it is, Thanksgiving should narrow down to one core significance � giving thanks and showing appreciation upon our blessings. As quoted from Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States:

"Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds."

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Till next time, here are some fun Turkey facts to share with everyone.

• Turkeys are able to adapt to a wide variety of habitats. However, most turkeys are found in hardwood forests with grassy areas.
• The best time to see a turkey is on a warm clear day or in a light rain.
• Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.
• Turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining.
• Turkeys spend the night in trees. They fly to their roosts around sunset.
• Turkeys fly to the ground at first light and feed until mid-morning. Feeding resumes in mid-afternoon.
• Gobbling starts before sunrise and can continue through most of the morning.
• A wild turkey has excellent vision and hearing. Their field of vision is about 270 degrees. This is the main reason they continue to elude some hunters.
• A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.
• Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey.

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"You've been awfully bad;
So here's the scoop.
All you get in your stocking is snowman poop."

This is the poem that Santa includes if you ever receive a snowman poop (coal). Modern beliefs has it that Elves are true friends and helpers of Father Christmas. Right before Christmas, they would go from house to house, inserting coal into the stockings of naughty children. If children were to receive a lump of coal on St Nick's day, they would have up until Christmas Eve to behave. If so, Santa will return and present them with Christmas goodies instead.

At first, it was believed that Santa and his Elves lived in the North Pole. But people soon found out that reindeer can't be be found in the North Pole. Instead, there is a huge population of reindeers in Finland! Since then, people started speculating that somewhere in Lapland, Finland, lives Santa, his family and his team of Elves!

Some believes that Santa has as many as six to thirteen Elves living and helping him prepare for Christmas. The popular Western names of the Christmas Elves helping Santa Claus and their duties are as follows:

1. Alabaster Snowball - Administrator of the Naughty & Nice list.
2. Bushy Evergreen - Inventor of the magic toy-making machine.
3. Pepper Minstix - Guardian of the secret of where Father Christmas's village is located.
4. Shinny Upatree - The oldest friend of Santa and the co-founder of the secret village in Lapland.
5. Sugarplum Mary - Head of the Sweat Treats, she is also known as Mary Christmas. She is an assistant to Mrs Claus and helps her in the kitchen.
6. Wunorse Openslae - Designer of Father Christmas's sleigh and responsible for its maintenance. He also looks after the reindeers and it is believed that his reindeers reach speeds faster than Christmas tree lights.

So who are they?
The earliest descriptions of Elves are found in the Norse mythology. According to the Norse mythology, Elves are actually beautiful creatures with special powers. They are human-like, and are able to live a semi-divine life.

In the Scandinavian folklore however, Elves are described as beautiful creatures who dance in the morning and evening meadows. Elves are generally friendly beings. But would you ever offend an elf, they are known to bring diseases ranging from a slight skin rash to a full on fatal disease. For such reasons, epidemics and other sicknesses in the Scandinavian society were often blamed on vengeful Elves.

In German folklore, Elves are also regarded as �pranksters� who cast diseases and nightmares. Indeed, the German word for nightmare, Albtraum, actually means �elf dream�.

Elves are called differently in different parts of the world. In the Netherlands, they are called Black Peter. In Iceland; Yule Lads, in Germany; Knecht Ruprecht, in many parts of France; P�re Fouettard, and in Luxembourg; Hoesecker. But well,

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

we might know Elves by hundreds of other names, but from what we see here, they sure are SEXY!

Halloween, Halloween.

What do you know about Halloween? Do you see it as a night with aged-old creepy mysteries, witches, black cats and ghastly jack-o'-lanterns? Or do you perceive it as a big neighbourhood costume party with kids running from house to house to trick or treat?

�May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,

The gladness of Christmas �give you hope,