On November 26, the country will celebrate another Thanksgiving holiday. Even though Houston doesn’t get to enjoy the spectacular colors that are synonymous with fall and New England, the season is upon us, and in true Texas style, we celebrate Thanksgiving on a grand scale. After all, everything is bigger in Texas. Our floral design team here at Breen’s Florist is ready to help you bring the beauty of autumn into your home as you fill it with flowers in classic fall colors.

Thanksgiving as we know it began in 1620, along the Atlantic coast of England at Plymouth where 102 people boarded the Mayflower for their journey to the New World. The trip took 66-days, and the vessel veered far off course. They wound up on the easternmost tip of Cape Cod. Their intended destination was the mouth of the Hudson River, presumably where it meets the Atlantic Ocean.

After spending a month of Cape Cod, everyone boarded the ship, and they crossed Massachusetts Bay, ending up at Plymouth Rock. They settled in the area around the historic Plimoth Plantation site. The new colonists stayed on the ship all winter. They weren’t able to build suitable accommodations because they didn’t have the tools or supplies. More importantly, however, they didn’t have enough food to keep everyone alive until they could forage, hunt, fish or plant food to provide the entire colony with sustenance.

Thanks to a chance meeting with an Abenaki Indian who spoke English, the settlers were introduced to Squanto, an English-speaking Indian who would teach them how to survive by explaining what wild plants were edible, what to avoid, how to fish, hunt and how and what to plant.

By the fall of 1621, they were able to harvest the food crops they had planted. The colony’s governor, William Bradford, decided that a celebratory feast was in order. He invited Squanto, members of the Wampanoag Indian tribe and their chief. Historians think of that memorable feast as the nation’s first Thanksgiving celebration.

In 1863, while the country was fighting the bloodiest war on American soil, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation, thereby creating the Thanksgiving holiday that is celebrated in November.

We believe that your home and your Thanksgiving dinner table ought to reflect the spirit of this holiday — a fall feast of Thanksgiving for the abundance of food, and the delight we take in celebrating with our loved ones. Embrace the warmth of the season and bring that earthiness into your home with fall floral arrangements and centerpieces.

Our Bountiful Bouquet is a tribute to the season in all its glory. We arrange Asiatic lilies, burgundy mini carnations, and butterscotch-colored daisy pompoms. We add preserved oak leaves and goldenrod for accent. The arrangement comes in a seasonal keepsake pumpkin.