How to explain Thanksgiving to a British person:

Apparently the facts of life worked differently back then. 

What I always found myself TIRED of was people who would start bashing Thanksgiving as celebrating you people taking over and ruining things for the Indians and then having a feast every year. I would then have to explain the story of people from England getting on a big, big boat from England, sailing away from England and landing, taking over the country... Some people didn't seem to like the reminder very much. Also explaining that the feast was a celebration of surviving the first winter, celebrating the harvest, friendships formed with the natives prior to taking over, and not a celebration of taking over.

Honestly, at that point, my inclination would be to start quoting 'Pangs,' the Buffy Thanksgiving episode:

Spike : You won. All right? You came in and you killed them and you took their land. That's what conquering nations do. It's what Caesar did, and he's not going around saying, "I came, I conquered, I felt really bad about it." The history of the world isn't people making friends. You had better weapons, and you massacred them. End of story.

Which I'll actually need to watch later.  Holiday tradition.

Loved the new blog post

Actually, I don't think I've ever encountered any Brits who asked anything about Thanksgiving.  Most of them don't seem to know it exists -- they're too busy getting on with their Christmas shopping.

... but I'm very happy that you do make the effort and I happily reap the benefits with a well needed laugh now and again.

@Becca - thank you for your insight and your kind words.  In general, I've gotten really good feedback from British people about my blog, although a few took some offense from the Thanksgiving post, when I implied that they weren't capable of having feelings. I'm sure many of them do have feelings, sometimes.

But, as you point out, comedy has to be you know, funny, and also a little bit true. And I've heard British suspicions about Thanksgiving, and I thought they needed to be explored a little.

although a few took some offense from the Thanksgiving post, when I implied that they weren't capable of having feelings. I'm sure many of them do have feelings, sometimes.

No one hates you, but it's comments like this that bother me a little.... because implying that I have no feelings because I'm British, whether it's in jest or not, is just a little hurtful to read.

It may just be due to the fact that this is an online forum/blog and it's hard to convey intention, so comments can be taken out of context, but to me, it doesn't come across as humour, it comes across as an insult.

Yes, we Brits are known for having a 'stiff upper lip' and for not talking about our feelings (myself included - I hate talking about my feelings and the thought of sharing what I'm thankful for with others is daunting to me) - but that's not the same as having no feelings at all.

I don't think I would have found it offensive at all, and I probably would have chuckled along with it, if you'd said something more like:
"Now I know you might not be comfortable with sharing the feelings I'm sure you have buried deep down inside somewhere, but please try to participate to the best of your ability."

And I've heard British suspicions about Thanksgiving, and I thought they needed to be explored a little.

That's fair enough .

Although I have experienced a few Thanksgivings in the US myself, I still don't know all of the traditions and history surrounding the holiday and the way it's celebrated, so that part of the blog was very useful to me, so thank you for that . My aunt in the US is English (but has been living in the US for 36 years and now has dual citizenship), so while she celebrates Thanksgiving, she didn't grow up with the holiday, so there's not really that proper Thanksgiving feeling or history at her house.

@ksand24

Clearly you do have feelings, and clearly I've overdone that joke a little.

I'm going to keep up the satire though, even though I suppose there's a chance it will put some people off- but let's keep a secret between just you and me- I promise you that in spite of the teasing that I love Britain and the British people, just like I love America and Americans.

Honestly, at that point, my inclination would be to start quoting 'Pangs,' the Buffy Thanksgiving episode:

Is Spike really the go-to-guy for holiday quotes? He's a psychopathic killer....

I will counter with:

Sally Brown: Do you know what we have to do? We have to write an essay on Stanley Miles.
Charlie Brown: You mean Miles Standish.

Is Spike really the go-to-guy for holiday quotes? He's a psychopathic killer....

I will counter with:

Sally Brown: Do you know what we have to do? We have to write an essay on Stanley Miles.
Charlie Brown: You mean Miles Standish.

And I'll re-counter with:

Adele: I'm giving thanks that we don't have to go through this for another year. Except we do, because those bastards went and put Christmas right in the middle, just to punish us.

Anne Bancroft's character in Home for the Holidays, which is admittedly a rather cynical take on the holiday season....

.... but I thought the movie was great.   

I've just done another blog post: A test for spotting a British person posing as an American. (Just in case you need to)

http://expatclaptrap.com/britishpersonamericantest/

Very informative - and funny! My husband (British) LOVES Thanksgiving. He calls it "Christmas without presents."  This will be the first Thanksgiving he misses since we met and he's devastated, though I have promised to import the holiday next year.