Thanksgiving dates back to 1621 when a group of English people came and settled in America in 1620 during the rough winter conditions. Most of them could not survive but those who did, attempted to grow crops for sustenance though they had no knowledge of farming in this new frontier. The Wampanoag tribe came to their rescue and taught them the method of farming.

The new settlers got a bumper harvest and wanted to thank the Almighty and express their gratitude to the Wampanoag tribe as well. All were invited to the grand feast where the natives brought their own harvest food as well. This is how the custom of Thanksgiving was born.

Thanksgiving is celebrated in America on the fourth Thursday of November and is a time to have fun with loved ones and friends. The family gets together to give thanks to the Creator and spending quality time with family. Thanksgiving dinner is a complete family affair and Thanksgiving gifts are mainly gifts related to the table to make the dinner experience more enjoyable and memorable.

Thanksgiving changed over the years with people expressing their gratitude towards family and friends along with thanks to the Almighty. Families get together on Thanksgiving and enjoy the traditional sumptuous meal that have been painstakingly prepared. Later, friends too were invited over to join the Thanksgiving dinner with the host preparing the traditional Turkey and the friends who came over would get gifts for the host. Traditionally gifts brought were wine bottles, table cutlery, centerpieces or fruit baskets.

Gifting trends have changed with change in technology. Electronic gadgets and appliances have gained popularity as Thanksgiving gifts due to its high versatility.These now include music players, game consoles, tablets and kitchen appliances too. The son chooses to gift his father with an iPad!

A long weekend for Thanksgiving has made it very convenient to make it a travel weekend. It is one of the busiest times for travel for most people. Remember to plan your holiday well in advance. With so many getaway options available a lot of dating couples gift a holiday to their partner.

Expressing gratitude through gifts has always been the norm. With the change in lifestyle the trends in gifting has changed considerably. The scope of gifting has further narrowed down to men, women and kids.

A guy can be gifted wine tumblers, bar set, engraved wine bottle stoppers, monogrammed party plates, thermometer, tool set, photo frames and eatables. A woman can be gifted knive sets, electric knife, napkin ring sets, wine bottles, gourmet herb garden basket, wine stoppers, cookware, pitcher, place-mats, cookie jars and a whole lot of eatable goodies. For the teenagers nail art patches, boxers, candy or lollipops make an acceptable gift. For a child it can be books with pictures and clothes.

Unique Thanksgiving gifts which are eco-friendly too have become highly popular. There are re-usable paper plates, organic fruit basket. Others unique gift options are universal remote control bottle opener; nail patches, set of olive oil, ceramic decanters, Swiss cheese boards, cheese plates and bottle openers. For couples who are dating, a weekend spent together at some destination as per the interest of both is one of the awesome gifts that can be given for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving gift basket can be loaded with various gift articles besides the traditional one too. The change in thinking and attitude towards life has a tremendous impact on Thanksgiving gifts that have become more utility gifts rather than simply following the tradition of restricting the gifts to table gifts.

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
—Melody Beattie