Thanksgiving, Community, and the Choices We Make Every Day
Land Back Acknowledgment from GEORGE
As the days grow shorter and a chill settles into the air, we step into a season meant for gratitude, connection, and, perhaps most importantly, reflection. Thanksgiving is often described as a time for family, friends, and neighbors to come together, but it’s worth asking: what do we truly gather to celebrate?
Thanksgiving, for many, is a cherished tradition. But its history tells a more complicated story—one of displacement, erasure, and a culture overshadowed by the relentless march of colonialism and capitalism. While we set our tables and give thanks, we must also hold space for the histories that shaped this day and the communities whose stories remain untold.
This irony is a tough one to wrestle with. At its heart, Thanksgiving asks us to share a spirit of connection that could exist every day if only it hadn’t been taken away in the first place. The lifestyle of shared abundance and respect that European settlers appropriated from Indigenous communities is celebrated once a year, while its deeper meaning is often overlooked.
But here’s the truth: we don’t need to reserve this spirit for a single day. Imagine living each day with the intention and warmth that Thanksgiving inspires—without the sanitized myths, but with the deep, meaningful connections it could represent. What if our daily lives became a reflection of this ideal, built on love, community, and a commitment to justice?
Of course, living with this kind of intentionality is not without challenges. It brings a swirl of emotions—gratitude tempered by anxiety and joy intertwined with the complexities of history. But it’s through these tensions that we find growth. When we choose to build our communities every day—not just on holidays—we step into something far more powerful than a single celebration. We reclaim the spirit of Thanksgiving as a living, breathing practice that uplifts not only ourselves but everyone around us.
In this holiday season, let us look beyond the table. Let us find gratitude in the messy, complex beauty of community and build connections that honor the full stories of those who came before us. When we choose to support one another—not just on Thanksgiving but every day—we create something extraordinary. We create a world where compassion and collaboration take center stage, where every act of kindness adds to the collective strength of our communities.
Let this be our call to action: to see Thanksgiving not as a single day but as a way of life. This is how we give the spirit back to the land that we stole it from. View our Land Back Acknowledgement on GEORGE.
