Classic Literature Thanksgiving

The short story, "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" by Louisa May Alcott first appeared in the collection Aunt Jo's Scrap Bag. Set in New Hampshire in the 1800s, it is a simple, yet charming story of a family Thanksgiving in an earlier, more innocent time. When their parents are called away to visit a sick relative, the girls try to put together a Thanksgiving dinner all on their own. Of course a few things go wrong, as this is the first time the children cook such a big dinner, but ultimately, all turns out well, and there’s much to be thankful for.

B.J. Harrison narrates "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" by author Louisa May Alcott. Thanksgiving is here, but the mother and father of seven children are called away to the bedside of an ill grandmother. The farm is left in charge of the eldest child and the children decide to whip up a Thanksgiving dinner that will make their parents proud, but the task turns out to be more difficult than they had imagined.

Mother and Father are called away suddenly, because Grandma is “failin’ fast”. This leaves the oldest Bassett girls, Tillie and Prue, to oversee the cooking of the Thanksgiving feast. Soon all eight children pitch in, though the subtleties of plum pudding and stuffed turkey are completely unknown to them. The result is a whole bunch of old-fashioned fun in the comfortably familiar Louisa May Alcott tradition.

It is Thanksgiving day. Stuffy Pete has just come out from an unexpected feast but he is now waiting for his companion, "The Old Gentleman". They only ever meet on this one day of the year, and although they do not know that much of each other, they always spend the holiday together. Stuffy Pete follows the tradition although he is so full that he cannot think of eating more food. The Old Gentleman shows up and they head out to a fancy restaurant for a delicious meal. When Stuffy Pete walks out of the restaurant, he collapses on the sidewalk.

Listen to this story of a family’s strong faith - how they believed in the impossible in the mist of lack, even when they didn’t have the money to buy food. Having strong faith, God showed favor to them by touching their neighbor - who lives down the road and on the next farm - on Thanksgiving Day.