Do you say grace before dinner?

[Joe Republic]

No.

A few years ago we went over to my wife's best friend's house to celebrate her dad's 60th birthday.  As dinner was served, without warning an uncle announced we would all say grace, and suddenly everybody around the table was holding hands.  It was incredibly awkward.

[Joe Republic]

the whole point is “giving thanks”!

I would personally thank all the various farmers if they happened to be gathered in my dining room, but that doesn't tend to happen very often.

[Joe Republic]

Grace? She passed away 30 years ago

THE BLESSING

[Joe Republic]

the whole point is “giving thanks”!

I would personally thank all the various farmers if they happened to be gathered in my dining room, but that doesn't tend to happen very often.

Nobody has to be there physically; in fact the main point is to give thanks for the arrival of the Puritans/your particular immigrant ancestors/the European colonization of the Americas generally, since you would not be enjoying the holiday if that had not happened.

Yeah, I get the concept, but it's still pretty weird to say thank you (or anything at all) to anybody that's not in the room or the other end of a phone line.

[Joe Republic]

K, now you're just babbling incoherently.  Happy turkey day, friend.