In elementary school, I was taught that the first Thanksgiving was a celebration of the pilgrims arrival to America on the Mayflower. It was a time to be thankful for the things I had. My elementary school mind usually thought things like “I am thankful for candy, Santa, and my parents.” Typically, we had a classroom feast of some sort. We each shared with the class something we were thankful for, and dressed in pilgrim-like or Native American clothing for a day. We made pictures and crafts, turkeys being the most common theme. One activity in particular I remember was tracing my hand on a piece of paper and making the tracing into a turkey. Popcorn was also a big part of my Thanksgiving celebrations during elementary school. To my knowledge, the Natives and pilgrims were the best of friends; no one in the colony died or got sick or suffered from cold or starvation. Mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, butter, corn, and of course turkey were what I assumed to be the main dishes at the pilgrim’s feast, since that is what was served at ours. The main message I got about Thanksgiving was that it was a celebration of the pilgrims’ arrival, and a day to be thankful for my family.