As a family, learning the foundations of our American history is fast becoming a matter of adventure and play. The more fun I have researching Thanksgiving, and “how they did stuff way back when,” the more my kids get a kick out of doing things a little different than normal.
I recently completed the writing of “How-to Re-create and Authentic 1621 Thanksgiving” (http://www.letsplayhistory.org/tghistory/thanksgiving.html), but for us, the research and experimenting with historical how-to’s continues to be a hoot!
I am currently working on authentic English table linens, particularly the huge “lap napkins,” called serviettes, which were common to the English in 1621. We laugh at how big they seem to us today, but back then they made perfect sense: Clothes were just too time consuming to needlessly clean or replace, hence the practicality of covering everything up while at the table!
I am hand stitching my serviettes, too, for authenticity. It takes me about two hours to complete one… I hope to finish 12 before Thanksgiving 
Even though our family had the pleasure of doing a few Thanksgiving activities in September (which is authentically closer to when the 1621 Thanksgiving happened), I am eager for the big get-together on November 22nd, as some of our extended family are completely unsuspecting as to the curiosities I’m about to present them with.
We’re going to be very adventurous…
With teenagers at home, the dinner table isn’t always a glowing display of good manners, anyway. So, I figured forgoing the formalities of a traditional holiday table setting would actually make for loads of fun. We will be setting our table authentically this year, including no forks, and only wooden spoons.
I may even go to the effort of making hard-tack plates – even though they probably weren’t used in 1621 - just because that is less expensive than buying a large set of period-authentic wooden or pewter plates. (Hmmm, I’ll have to include that know-how in the next LetsPlayHistory Club Newsletter!)
I’ve decided to cook our turkey traditionally, rather than in an earth pit, but if weather is dry that day, I do plan to cook an authentic dish outdoors in a Dutch oven. Probably Indian Pudding, as we enjoyed it during our test run in September.
(more to come….)
