Apple Seed: Kevin Kling

Guest: Michalyn Steele, Professor of Law, BYU The story of the Pilgrims graciously inviting the Indians to share their feast at the first Thanksgiving is more fiction than fact. The lessons school children draw from reenacting that story are about unity and gratitude. But in donning buckled boots or feathered headdresses, they’re learning a lesson that disappoints Michalyn Steele.

Guest: Paul Quigley, PhD, Associate Professor of Civil War Studies, Director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies, Virginia Tech Turning now to the true origin of our Thanksgiving holiday: we are joined by a professor of Civil War history. Now you’re probably thinking – what good is a Civil War expert when we’re looking at a holiday that originated hundreds of years earlier when the Puritans landed at Plymouth Rock?

Guest: Adam Anderegg, Director of "Winter Thaw", Kaleidoscope Pictures; Russ Kendall, Producer, Co-Writer of "Winter Thaw," Kaleidoscope Pictures Once the dishes are cleared and the pies are eaten on Thanksgiving, you might consider kicking off your Christmas season with an original BYUtv film, premiering that night at 8 p.m. Eastern, called “Winter Thaw.” It’s loosely based on a story by Leo Tolstoy, a lonely old cobbler who comes to understand what it means to be a true Christian. It stars John Rhys-Davies who you’ll recognize as Gimli the Dwarf from The Lord of the Rings movies.

Guest: Sam Sifton, Food Editor, New York Times The traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, stuffing, potatoes and cranberries. But in this nation of immigrants, there are bound to be some cultural additions to the spread.  New York Times food editor, Sam Sifton, curated a fascinating look at what’s on the table of 15 families this holiday and there are lots of touches that reveal our immigrant roots as a nation. Sifton’s also been taking questions from our listeners. He’s the man for the job, given that he literally wrote a book called, “Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well.”

Guest: Loren Marks, PhD, Professor of Family Life, BYU Norman Rockwell gave us the idyllic picture of an American Thanksgiving – several generations around a table beaming at each other and the perfectly roasted turkey on its platter. Some of us cling to that image – even though we know the reality of our own holiday meal will be a lot more chaotic, and even contentious. Your uncle wants to talk politics. Some of the guys want to eat in front of the TV so they don’t miss the game. The kids are turning their noses up at the food and your in-laws have that disapproving look in their eyes.  Must our holiday memories always be doomed by strained family relationships?