Thanksgiving Day is a special holiday for residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It all began right here. For our Curran Brothers team, the fact that we’re just about 60 miles from where it all began makes this chapter of Massachusetts history feel even more special. Here in the colony, folks know how to celebrate the nation’s first holiday in style, and we do it while embracing symbolic traditions.

We’re sure that everyone remembers their school history classes. We learned about the religious separatists who made a grueling 66-day voyage on the Mayflower to find a better life in the New World. The colony they created a month after arriving at the eastern tip of Cape Cod is the historic site that recreates that chapter of our history on the land that is now known as Plimoth Plantation.

When the ship set sail from Plymouth England in September of 1620. There were 102 voyagers on the vessel. Their intention was to dock at the mouth of the Hudson River, but they veered off course and wound up on Cape Cod instead.

They had no survival skills, so it isn’t surprising that half of the passengers died over the winter. Thankfully, they later met an English-speaking Pawtuxet Indian, Squanto, who taught them how to plant food crops, fish and do what homesteaders do to make it through the harsh winters.

When we celebrate Thanksgiving, which we will do on November 26, we honor the tradition of our colonial forefathers and the difficulties they encountered upon their arrival in the New World. We are also paying tribute to that first successful harvest because agriculture used to be the backbone of the country’s economy.

We also embrace the season, because autumn and the concept of feasting on the fruits of many farmers’ labors is what we celebrate when we give thanks for the abundance that sits before us on the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Because this is a special feast and it marks a particular occasion, we believe that the decor of your home and table are just as important as the food you put on it.

Our Grateful Gathering centerpiece is a beautiful arrangement that is sure to bring the warmth of its colors to your table. Sunflowers, roses, lilies, daisies, yarrow and orange spray roses make up this festive design. We add accents of solidaster and a plaid bow that incorporates the traditional colors of the season.