The fall season is officially upon us as we enter into the month of October. The weather is turning cooler, the air feels crisp and damp and the days are becoming shorter. Despite these changes this is a majestic time of year as the leaves turn into beautiful shades of orange, yellow, red and we anticipate the upcoming celebration of Thanksgiving!
Do you know what is behind the meaning of “Thanksgiving,” besides being a long weekend where you perhaps you get time off work and your children get a day off from school? Historically, Thanksgiving dates back to 1578 when the English explorer, Martin Frobisher, set out on an expedition to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean and arrived in Newfoundland. For his safe arrival to the New World he celebrated with a ceremony and this was the first Thanksgiving festivity. Since this time, Thanksgiving became a day to give thanks for the fall harvest and the blessings of the past year. However, it was only in 1957 when proclaimed by the Parliament of Canada when it became a national holiday to occur annually on the second Monday of October.
Today, in Canada, Thanksgiving is a day to be thankful for the good things in our lives, for families and friends to spend time with one another, celebrating by sharing a large traditional meal. The feature of the traditional meal is a roast turkey stuffed with dressing served with mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, vegetables such as carrots, corn or green beans, dinner rolls and pumpkin pie with whipped cream topping.
The Thanksgiving feast is the centerpiece of this traditional holiday and if you are involved in preparing the meal it can be a stressful task and you may be hard-pressed to find the time to plan, shop, prepare this traditional meal. To accommodate your busy lifestyle the Danforth Village is the place you can get all your quintessential fixings for a perfect Thanksgiving meal. Sobeys is a good place to start as they are open 24 hours for your convenience and they offer high quality fresh turkeys. Check out their website for recipe ideas such as the Perfect Roast Turkey with Cranberry Stuffing or the Apple Maple Turkey dish. Looking for fresh fruits and vegetables to create your delicious side dishes, why not shop at the Danforth Village Quality Fruits & Vegetables grocery store or Janny Fruit Market. The Bun King Bakery & Delicatessen is the place to purchase fresh daily baked dinner rolls. To compliment your pumpkin pie, Grumbels Deli & Baked Goods makes butter tarts that have reported to be the best in East York! Bulk Barn is the place to find seasonings to add some flavour and zest to your menu, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, rosemary, sage and thyme.
Come and walk, shop and dine in the Danforth Village and the merchants here will help you prepare the perfect Thanksgiving dinner.
The Danforth Villages wishes you all a Happy Thanksgiving!