Thanksgiving speech - delivered Thursday 22nd November 2012

Welcome to the annual thanksgiving celebration at Connaught. The first thanksgiving celebration was in north America in 1621. It was only officially recognised in 1863, when Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation making it a national festival. This almost certainly makes Thanksgiving the most modern cultural festival that we celebrate at Connaught Hall.

And it is a festival that has a timeless relevance: for when times are good, it is all too easy to take for granted the very many people, things, and opportunities that have made us happy and safe; but when times are hard, we can find ourselves all too ready to complain about the things we feel we should have but do not. Thanksgiving reminds us that we should simply stop, recognise all the great things we do have, and the wonderful friends and relationships we all have in our lives, and say a heartfelt “thanks” for them. That way, we can be more content both in times of plenty and in times of hardship.

Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends and togetherness. North Americans living in Hall this Thanksgiving might be physically far from their homes and families. But I hope being with your Connaught family this year can go towards making you feel just at home here.

Whilst being thankful for the people and opportunities that have brought us to where we are in our lives today, we should also think about our neighbours who might need more help or support from us. Whether they are fellow residents here in hall, students at college, or strangers, we can do more to make others happier and safer and in so doing, cause other people to be thankful for our kindness.
So let me leave you tonight with an exhortation to spend a few moments reflecting on what we are truly thankful for, and what we can do this week to give others cause for thanks, too.

Thanksgiving speech

I am very sorry that, due to illness, I may not be able to deliver my speech for Thanksgiving tonight. The text of my speech is below.

This is the first time we have held a Thanksgiving event at Connaught Hall. It's one of a series of celebrations from all over the world that we want to mark here at Connaught this year. We have a German culture night next Saturday, lots of Christmas activities, and a Chinese New Year celebration in January, with more to follow later.

We chose Thanksgiving for November for two reasons: First, it's celebrated by Americans and Canadians - and although the dates are different, the concept is similar. So this event will be welcomed by a sizeable number of Hall residents. Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends and togetherness. Most of our North American residents don't have the option of being with their families this Thanksgiving, and that can feel lonely. So I hope our togetherness tonight can help alleviate the homesickness that they might feel at this time of year.

The other reason we wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving is this: if you take away the historical context of native Americans helping settlers in a bleak winter on a new continent, the concept of stopping for a moment to give thanks for the things that really matter to us is universal. We all depend on the support of others. Yet it's so easy for us to take our family, friends, homes, and safety for granted; and so I feel it's important that sometimes we stop and say thank you to the people who support and sustain us in life.

At times like this we should also think about our neighbours who might need more help or support from us. Whether they are fellow residents here in hall, students at college, others in our local community, or even farther afield, can we do more to make others happier and safer?

So, in closing, I hope you will join me in taking up this challenge: to think now about those who have helped us and cared for us, the things that sustain us, and to say thank you for them - where we can, say thank you TO them. And tonight, let’s consider what more we can do to make the lives of others in our community happier so that next Thanksgiving, maybe someone will be saying “thank you” to you.

Thanksgiving: 24 November 2011

This year, for the first time at Connaught Hall, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Whilst the dates and traditions are slightly different for American and Canadian Thanksgiving, the underlying values are similar so it seems sensible to include both celebrations in ours.

We need help! What should we organise?

I have asked the caterers to have an American-themed (ideally traditional Thanksgiving) menu on Thursday 24th November. We have some patriotic North American decorations and flags – perhaps better suited to Independence Day, but we can use them nonetheless as a sign to other residents that this is an American celebration. I envisage having British, American, and Canadian flags together on the stage.

Is there any particular music we should choose? Any traditional activities, games, or readings? Should there be a speech? The bar will stock up on American beers and whisky but are there any other drinks we should have?

Please post a reply to this blog post with your ideas, tweet them using #connaughtthanksgiving, post your ideas on the Hall Facebook page, or email warden@connaught-hall.org.uk.