Thanksgiving myths

The day before Thanksgiving is NOT the busiest travel day of the year. That would be any Friday in June, July, or August.

Eating Turkey does NOT make you sleepy. It does have some of that chemical Tryptophan that is a sedative, but not in sufficient quantity to have an effect. Overeating, though, especially with so many carbohydrates that characterize a Thanksgiving feast, does make you sleepy.

The day after Thanksgiving is NOT the busiest shopping day of the year. That would be the Saturday before Christmas.

The claim that the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving is a myth is itself a myth. Yes, one can quibble about the menu, but the Pilgrims did hold a great feast to give thanks for their survival through their first winter and their first harvest in the New World. Also, it is true that the Indian, Squanto, who helped them survive in this new environment was a Christian who knew English because he had lived for awhile in London.