Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. For many, planning, preparing and eating is the primary focus on Thanksgiving, and while I do love a hearty feast, the food is just soothing background music for the rest.
For instance, my most adored seasonal candle scent, Mainstays’ Mulled Cider, becomes available for purchase. Next, we take a week off from homeschooling and spend time hanging out with extended family and friends. Finally, there is a spirit of love, thankfulness and togetherness that has yet to be gobbled up by the chaos and financial stressors of Christmas.
As a child, I preferred Thanksgiving crafts to those from any other time of year. For whatever reason, I was especially fond of turning my handprints into turkeys, which makes me wonder how that idea ever came to be; it certainly is an elementary age craft staple.
Turkeys, Turkeys, Turkeys
Since we’re on the turkey track today, here are 20 interesting things about, or related to, turkeys. *Gobble*Gobble*
1. Ben Franklin, in a letter to his daughter, proposed that the turkey should be the official bird to represent the United States. He wrote that a turkey is a “much more respectable bird” than the “bad moral character” of the eagle whom he described as a “rank coward”.
2. In 2011 an estimated 46 million turkeys were eaten in the United States on Thanksgiving.
3. Nearly 88% of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving.
4. A turkey’s eyes are set into the opposite sides of its head. The position of the eyes allows the animal to see two objects at once, but limits its depth perception. Turkeys have a wide field of vision and by moving their neck, they can gain a 360-degree field of view.
5. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15-16 pounds with about 70% of the turkey being white meat and 30% dark meat.
6. Deep fried turkey originated in the southern United States, but is popular today throughout North America.
7. Many people report drowsiness after eating Thanksgiving dinner. Though most blame it on the tryptophan in turkey, others suggest it isn’t the turkey alone, but more likely the result of a carbohydrate-rich meal.
8. The first and final missions to land men on the moon (led by Neil Armstrong and Eugene Cernan respectively) both served up turkey and gravy.
9. The costume worn by “Big Bird” on Sesame Street is mostly comprised of large feathers from 45-pound turkeys.
10. The male turkey is called a tom, the female turkey is called a hen, and baby turkeys are called poults.
11. Only tom turkeys gobble, while hen turkeys make a clicking noise.
12. Want to stave off macular degeneration: Turkey is listed among the top 10 foods for your eyes because it’s rich in zinc (plus the B-vitamin niacin, which specifically protects against cataracts).
13. Between 5,000 and 6,000 feathers cover the body of a wild, adult turkey in patterns called feather tracts.
14. Ever thought of dressing as a turkey? According to the Guinness World Records, the largest gathering of people dressed as turkeys is 661 and was accomplished at the 44th Annual Capital One Bank Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot in Dallas, Texas, USA on November 24, 2011.
15. Strangely enough June, not November, is National Turkey Lovers’ Month.
16. Domesticated turkeys cannot fly, and a tom turkey can reach a weight of 30 pounds within 18 weeks after hatching (normal incubating period is 28 days).
17. Turkey Anatomy: The fleshy growth under a turkey’s throat is called a wattle. The long, red, fleshy area that grows from the turkey’s forehead over the bill is called a snood, and the caruncle is the red-pink fleshy growth on the head and upper neck of the turkey.
18. Wild turkeys can fly for short distances up to 55 miles per hour and can run at speeds up to 25 miles per hour.
19. The bare skin on the throat and head of a turkey changes colors when they become distressed or excited.
20. Wild turkeys roost in trees; they are especially partial to oak trees.
Facts aside, what are/were your favorite Thanksgiving traditions or crafts as a child? Now?
Heather Sanders is a leading homeschooling journalist who inspires homeschooling families across the nation. Married to Jeff, Heather lives in the East Texas Piney Woods and homeschools her three children, Emelie, Meredith and Kenny.