It is a normal and natural thing to acknowledge the seasonality of life. The rhythm of the weather, the harvest, the holidays. Our Christian forebears baptized many symbols and traditions, making them part of our rich inheritance.
Much of the modern calendar has only a thin veneer of secularism hiding the religious roots beneath.
A one-time Thanksgiving was proclaimed by George Washington in light of the Almighty’s care of the American people before, during, and after the revolution.
An annual Thanksgiving was proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln for similar reasons in the latter days of the Civil War.
Neither referenced the so-called “First Thanksgiving” of the Pilgrims.
Even for the Pilgrims I doubt it was particularly remarkable. As I understand it they tossed out the whole liturgical calendar and called days of thanksgiving or penance based on their current conditions - reading them as signs of either Gods gifts or just punishments.
I bear no ill will to those early settlers. I just think they’ve become the face of the caricature of this Holiday, the way Santa and the Easter Bunny are for theirs.
We don’t need to squint to hard to capture the “reason for this season.” Enjoy the fruits of the harvest and thank God for his blessings. Buckled hats optional.