Why doesn’t Disney World celebrate Thanksgiving?

NOTE: I would like to begin this morning by expressing my gratitude to my son, Ryan, for writing last week’s Daily Articles. I am truly thankful for his thoughtful and inspiring columns while Janet and I were on vacation. Ryan is completing his PhD in church history and is a gifted thinker and writer. I am very proud of him and honored to share this ministry with him.

My wife marked a significant birthday last week. I offered to take her anywhere to celebrate and she chose Disney World. Since she grew up just a few blocks from Disneyland in California and we visited Disney World often while living in Atlanta, the trip was a nostalgic and fun week for us both.

However, one part of our vacation was a new experience: we had never visited Disney World in mid-November. We saw Christmas decorations everywhere we looked. Wreaths on the doors, garlands on the light poles and attractions, Christmas parades in the streets. We were told that more than 1,500 Christmas trees were placed on the various Disney World properties.

The decorations were beautiful. The parades, light shows, and fireworks were stunning. Disney World celebrates Christmas in grand style.

But another holiday was noteworthy for its absence.

A holiday or a holy day?

I don’t remember a single reference to Thanksgiving. Not one pilgrim or turkey on the grounds. It was as though this Thursday’s celebration of gratitude does not exist.

My purpose is not to criticize Disney World–it is to note that for most Americans, they’re right. Thanksgiving is a day for food and football followed by Black Friday sales on Thursday.

By contrast, when Governor Bradford issued his first Thanksgiving proclamation in 1623, he called “all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones” to assemble from nine to noon “to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.”

When Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national observance in 1863, he asked his “fellow…