When Bruce and Laurel Hall join hands across the dinner table to thank God for their blessings on Thursday, they'll be talking about their seven children, their heritage that traces back to the Mayflower, their health.
They will, in fact, give prayerful thanks "for life itself," Bruce Hall said. "We are thankful for everything we have."Including, he added, "family, food and football."
The same scene will be played out in homes across the nation. Since the first informal "thanksgiving" pilgrims celebrated in their new land in 1621 to the first national Thanksgiving at Valley Forge in 1776 to the modern "fourth Thursday of November," Americans have used the holiday to gather their families and friends together to share food and faith.
It is in some ways the most spiritual of holidays, according to Paul Wood.
"Christmas can be pretty commercial if you lose track of its true meaning," he said. "But there's something inherently spiritual about gathering the family together and giving thanks."
But Maria Garcia is quick to point out that not all families give thanks during the feast. "It used to be more spiritual when the kids were little," she said. "Now the kids go snowboarding or skiing, come in and eat the food I've spent the day preparing, then they go to bed. And I'm stuck with the dishes. So it's lost its religious significance for me. Now Christmas -- that's a spiritual holiday."
Still, a survey conducted nationwide for the Lutheran Brotherhood by Yanklovich Partners found that Americans do give thanks during the holiday.
And they are most thankful for their families. Half put that at the top of their lists; 19 percent are most thankful for their religious faith and 18 percent are most thankful for their good health. Friends, education and financial status were also listed, but in much smaller numbers.
Those younger than 65 are more likely to be most grateful for family; senior citizens list religious faith and good health in about equal numbers as the thing for which they are most thankful.
The most popular way Americans give thanks to God is through prayer. Nearly half of those surveyed -- 45 percent -- said they pray to show their thanks. About 39 percent said they express thanks by being a good role model, while 36 percent volunteer, 35 percent worship and 30 percent donate money to charity. Obviously, many of them give thanks in multiple ways.
The survey found that women are more likely than men to thank God for their blessings through prayer (51 percent vs. 38 percent) and by going to services or activities in a place of worship (39 percent of women, vs. 31 percent of men). And Southerners are much more likely to give thanks by joining a place of worship compared with people who live in the western United States (41 percent vs. 22 percent).
People who earn less than $75,000 a year are far more likely to pray to express their gratitude for blessings than are those who earn more. Those with high incomes say they give thanks by putting money back into their communities in the form of charitable donations.
One thing that most adults agree on is the need to teach their children to show thanks. When the survey asked parents what activities they do with their children to express thanks to God, 54 percent cited being a good role model, 44 percent said prayer, 35 percent spoke of participating in a worship service, 30 percent volunteered and 23 percent gave money to charity. Again, they could answer yes to more than one choice.
Those parents make it clear that there are two things for which they are especially thankful: They're divided almost equally (at 32 percent each) on whether they are most thankful they have good relationships with their children or that their children are healthy. Moms are more thankful for the former, dads more appreciative of the latter.
The most important thing, though, according to Ralph Cromar, is getting together with the people you love. Five of his six children will be home for Thanksgiving dinner. And they, too, will hold hands and bow their heads and give thanks.
"It's a very spiritual holiday," Cromar said.