“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

- John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States

The holiday feast that we know as Thanksgiving dates back to November 1621, in Plymouth, Mass., when the newly arrived Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians gathered together for an autumn harvest celebration.

This event is popularly regarded as America’s first Thanksgiving. George Washington, our nation’s first president, recognized the importance of setting aside a time each year to give thanks for our blessings. His proclamation recognizing that first Thanksgiving was made in Oct. 3, 1789, in New York City.

Some 74 years later, it was former President Abraham Lincoln who first set a date for the celebration of Thanksgiving. In 1863, in Washington, D.C., Lincoln declared before Congress that “the last Thursday of November be set aside as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Congress finalized the commemoration of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November in 1939.

As Americans, we can be proud that from the very beginning of our nation’s history, Thanksgiving, our most American of holidays, has had a singular importance in the cultural and spiritual life of the United States.

On behalf of the trustees of the Public Library of Catasauqua and the library staff, you are wished a very happy Thanksgiving and a blessed holiday season.

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Catasauqua Garden Club members will decorate the library’s Christmas tree Dec. 5 with lovely handmade ornaments.

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Rebecca Zukowski-Gillespie, of Blondies Cupcakes, will host a cupcake-decorating program for children 6 p.m. Dec. 10. There is no charge for this event. Registration is required.

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There will be a Noah’s Ark animal workshop event 6 p.m. Dec. 17, where children will get to make a stuffed toy reindeer. Registration is required. There is a small cost. Call the library at 610-264-4151 to register.

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NEW BOOKS

Fiction: “Night of Miracles,” Elizabeth Berg; “The Noel Stranger,” Richard Paul Evans; “Christmas Cake Murder,” Joanne Fluke; “Unsheltered,” Barbara Kingsolver; “Robert B. Parker’s Blood Feud,” Mike Lupica; “Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before a Game of Thrones,” George R.R. Martin; “The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” Heather Morris; “Where the Crawdads Sing,” Delia Owens; “Kingdom of the Blind,” Louise Penny; “Of Blood and Bone,” Nora Roberts; “Dracul,” Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker

Nonfiction: “Presidents of War,” Michael Beschloss; “The Forgotten: How the People of One Pennsylvania County Elected Donald Trump and Changed America,” Ben Bradlee Jr.; “Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America’s Most Notorious Pirates,” Eric Jay Dolin; “Trump’s Enemies: How the Deep State Is Undermining the Presidency,” Corey R. Lewandowski and David N. Bossie; “Impeachment: An American History,” Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A. Engel; “Back in the Game: One Gunman, Countless Heroes and the Fight for My Life, “ Steve Scalise with Jeffrey E. Stern

Juvenile fiction: “Hurricane Heroes in Texas: Magic Tree House #30,” Mary Pope Osborne; “Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild,” Dav Pilkey

Juvenile nonfiction: “The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs,” America’s Test Kitchen Kids

Young adult: “Dear Evan Hansen,” Val Emmich

Children’s picture books: “Elbow Grease,” John Cena; “Santa Bruce,” Ryan T. Higgins; “Construction Site on Christmas Night,” Sherri Duskey Rinker