Obama's Thanksgiving Message 2010

The Obamas are celebrating Thanksgiving at the White House. Today, Obama called 10 service members, thanked them and wished them happy Thanksgiving. On the dessert menu is pie: apple, sweet potato, huckleberry, cherry, banana cream and pumpkin.

Tomorrow, Michelle Obama is presented with the White House Christmas tree at 2 pm eastern.

Obama Pardons the Turkey Nov. 24 2010

Obama, with Malia and Sasha at his side, pardoned two turkeys, Apple and his understudy Cider. Obama said it felt pretty good to stop at least one shellacking this year. He said the turkeys competed in a turkey version of Dancing With the Stars, except the stakes were much higher.

The Obamas delivered turkeys to Martha's Table (watch). Full video:

Obama's Schedule Nov. 24 and Pardoning the Turkey

Look for a live stream of the turkey pardoning at WhiteHouse.gov.

9:30 AM	The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing Oval Office Closed Press
10:30 AM	The President pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey Rose Garden Open Press
11:30 AM	The President meets with Secretary of Defense Gates Oval Office Closed Press
4:20 PM	The First Family participates in a service event DC area, Washington Travel Pool Coverage

Obama's Thanksgiving Message 2009

This is Obama's weekly address, early for the holidays:

Obama Family Distributes Goodies at Martha's Table Nov. 25

See more photos here

The Obama family, including grandma Marian Robinson, distribute food at Martha's Table in DC:

The Obama family is passing out turkeys, stuffing and other Thanksgiving favorites to people at a food pantry organization.

President Barack Obama tucked pumpkin pies into people's bags at Martha's Table in downtown Washington on Wednesday evening and wished them a happy holiday. AP

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano helps at Reagan airport:

Obama Pardons Courage The Turkey

Obama says we have "saved or created four turkeys:"

Malia said: "He's like a large chicken." More Courage photos

Courage the Turkey is now headed to Disneyland.
Obama, accompanied by Malia and Sasha, talked about the fate of Courage. It was pretty entertaining. If you missed the Turkey pardon trailer, check it out here.
Abraham Lincoln was the first to pardon a turkey:

President Harry Truman is often cited, incorrectly, as the first president to pardon a Thanksgiving turkey. (Just Google first president to pardon a turkey and see how many wiki Truman answers you get.)

Adding to the confusion, President Bill Clinton claimed on Nov. 26, 1997 at his pardoning ceremony: "President Truman was the first President to pardon a turkey."

But the Truman Library wrote in 2003: "The Library's staff has found no documents, speeches, newspaper clippings, photographs, or other contemporary records in our holdings which refer to Truman pardoning a turkey that he received as a gift in 1947, or at any other time during his Presidency."

In fact, "Truman sometimes indicated to reporters that the turkeys he received were destined for the family dinner table," the library wrote.

It appears that Abraham Lincoln, in a way, was the first to spare a turkey. But it wasn't a Thanksgiving turkey. It was a Christmas turkey his son had taken for a pet. Read more at First Read.

Preview Trailer of the Obama Turkey Pardon

Update Nov. 25: Watch Obama pardon Courage the Turkey here.
Obama pardons the turkey tomorrow at 11:30 am eastern. Someone at the White House had a little fun:

Obama Thanksgiving at the White House and Arrival of Christmas Tree

Update: Watch Courage the Turkey get his pardon video here.

Tomorrow at 11:30 am eastern, Obama will participate in the traditional turkey pardoning ceremony and then the Obamas will be volunteering in DC. The Obamas will spending Thanksgiving at the White House and on Friday, the White House Christmas tree from West Virginia will be presented. Robert Gibbs press briefing yesterday:

Obama's Thanksgiving proclamation:

PROCLAMATION

What began as a harvest celebration between European settlers and indigenous communities nearly four centuries ago has become our cherished tradition of Thanksgiving. This day's roots are intertwined with those of our Nation, and its history traces the American narrative.

Today, we recall President George Washington, who proclaimed our first national day of public thanksgiving to be observed "by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God," and President Abraham Lincoln, who established our annual Thanksgiving Day to help mend a fractured Nation in the midst of civil war. We also recognize the contributions of Native Americans, who helped the early colonists survive their first harsh winter and continue to strengthen our Nation. From our earliest days of independence, and in times of tragedy and triumph, Americans have come together to celebrate Thanksgiving.

As Americans, we hail from every part of the world. While we observe traditions from every culture, Thanksgiving Day is a unique national tradition we all share. Its spirit binds us together as one people, each of us thankful for our common blessings.

As we gather once again among loved ones, let us also reach out to our neighbors and fellow citizens in need of a helping hand. This is a time for us to renew our bonds with one another, and we can fulfill that commitment by serving our communities and our Nation throughout the year. In doing so, we pay tribute to our country's men and women in uniform who set an example of service that inspires us all. Let us be guided by the legacy of those who have fought for the freedoms for which we give thanks, and be worthy heirs to the noble tradition of goodwill shown on this day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 26, 2009, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of the United States to come together, whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place where family, friends and neighbors may gather, with gratitude for all we have received in the past year; to express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own; and to share our bounty with others.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

The Obama Thanksgiving

Tonight the Obamas will be on a Barbara Walters special but first they give out birds at a food drive in Chicago. video.

WALTERS, later on the 'Good Morning America' set: By the way, he's losing – so far – that negotiation about the BlackBerry. ... We sit down for the interview and Mrs. Obama's talking, and he bends over and say, 'Just a minute, dear.' And he takes, on camera, the lipstick off her teeth. ... I don't want to gush – they're very cute and very funny in this interview together. ... She says that they're going to have 60 people, at least [for Thanksgiving]. And he says, 'Yeah, mostly her relatives.' She says, 'I'm not cooking.' She said, and I quote, 'My husband ran for president. I should have an 'out' of cooking something for dinner.' More excerpts below.

The Bush girls showed the Obama girls around:

MRS. BUSH, on moving into the White House: 'The very first rooms I did were the two rooms that were for our girls, who were freshmen in college. I wanted them to be able to have these rooms to move home and come home for holidays and have their own space. So those are the rooms that Barbara and Jenna showed little Malia and Sasha when they came over to visit. And that was really fun. It was fun for the girls to get to show them not only that room, but the way the big cross hall can be an obstacle course for little kids to run up and down, and the solarium ramp that you can slide down on your bottom. So they showed them all the special tricks.'
ROBIN ROBERTS: 'Now, is it true that Sasha and Malia, they were jumping up and down on the bed in the Lincoln Bedroom?'

MRS. BUSH: 'We did a little bed-jumping, the girls sort of showed them -- it wasn't the Lincoln Bedroom, it was another bedroom with a very tall bed that we usually put a step out for people to step into when they stay in that room. But instead the little girls did the running jump, and Barbara and Jenna of course aided and abetted that jumping.' Read more at Politico's playbook.
More Obama kid talk:

OBAMA, ON RAISING TWO GIRLS IN THE WHITE HOUSE: I think a lot of it just has to do with making sure that they understand that, they're special to us because we're their parents. But they're not special, you know in terms of having to do their homework or having to do chores or having...

WALTERS: They have to do chores in the White House?

MICHELLE OBAMA: Yeah. That was the first thing I said to some of the staff when I did my visit. Because of course, the girls, they're so good. I said, 'You know, we're gonna have to set up some boundaries. Because they're gonna need to be able to make their beds and ...

WALTERS: Really?

MICHELLE OBAMA: They do that now.

WALTERS: In the White House they're gonna have to make the beds and clean up their rooms?

OBAMA: Doing that since they were four years old.

MICHELLE OBAMA: Uh, that's gonna be one of my goals. Don't make their beds. Make mine. (Laughs) But skip the kids; let 'em make their own beds. They have to learn these things.

BARACK OBAMA:: And they have. That's the one thing that I'm most proud about my kids is that they're kind, thoughtful kids. And they show everybody respect. Everybody they meet. ... They're ... they're ... they're kind and sweet too, and they're thoughtful. And really, if they retain that, the other stuff will take care of itself.