Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Despite a Divisive Year, Americans Give Thanks

by VOA News

   Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving Thursday as they traditionally
   do -- gathering with family and friends around tables groaning with
   food, watching parades and football games and, for many, starting their
   holiday shopping.

   Increased security measures, including sand-laden dump trucks and
   bomb-sniffing dogs, will be part of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day
   Parade in New York City this year, police officials said.

   While they have verified no credible threats, the New York City Police
   Department said it is deploying more than 3,000 police officers -- both
   in uniform and plainclothes -- along the 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) route
   through Manhattan. The parade begins at 9 a.m. EST (1400 UTC).

   The New York police have an additional security challenge this year:
   President-elect Donald Trump's high-rise residence is a block from the
   parade route. But Trump and his family are spending the holiday in
   Florida.

   Crowd barriers are in place around Macy's as preparations continue for
   the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, Nov. 23, 2016, More
   than 80 New York City sanitation trucks filled with sand will be used
   along the route to create a physical barrier along the route.

   Thanksgiving traditions

   Thanksgiving has many traditions for Americans, not the least of which
   is traveling to be with their family and friends. Almost 49 million
   people were expected to take to the roads, air and railways ahead of
   the holiday -- 1 million more than last year -- making it the busiest
   Thanksgiving holiday travel period in almost a decade.

   For the last time, President Barack Obama performed the traditional
   pardoning of the national Thanksgiving turkey.

   "It is my great privilege -- well, it's my privilege -- actually, let's
   just say it's my job to grant them clemency this afternoon," Obama
   said.

   Watch: Obama Pardons his Final Thanksgiving Turkey

   Obama gave ceremonial freedom to Tater and Tot in the Rose Garden,
   flanked by his nephews Aaron, 4, and Austin Robinson, 6, rather than
   daughters Sasha, 15, and Malia, 18. Obama joked that the girls
   "couldn't take" his "dad jokes" anymore.

   The president turned serious to reflect on the spirit of Thanksgiving.
   Obama said it's a time to remember that "we have a lot more in common
   than divides us.'' He also challenged Americans to show the world that
   the United States is a generous and giving country, and to make sure
   everyone has something to eat on Thanksgiving.

   In Florida, President-elect Trump released a video in which he said,
   "It is my prayer that on this Thanksgiving, we begin to heal our
   divisions and move forward as one country, strengthened by a shared
   purpose and very, very common resolve."

   Trump, who gathered with family Thursday at his Palm Beach estate, was
   expected to pause for a day after a two-week scramble to shape his
   nascent administration from scratch.

   "It's time to restore the bonds of trust between citizens, because when
   America is unified there is nothing beyond our reach," the
   president-elect said in his Thanksgiving message, which was posted on
   social media.

   Denver Wal-Mart Supercenter employee Aaron Sanford stocks toys on
   shelves, Nov. 23, 2016, to prepare for a Thanksgiving night rush that
   kicks off this year's Black Friday weekend.

   And then shopping

   Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the last Thursday of November.
   And it marks the start of the holiday season in the United States.

   Black Friday, as the Friday after Thanksgiving is known, is a day for
   big sales on clothing, toys and appliances, as people begin their
   holiday shopping in earnest.

   This year, some retailers say they have seen a surge in sales of
   feel-good items such as spa treatments, candles and comfort food. But
   executives at some major retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and Macy's
   have said there's no discernable shift in consumer behavior after a
   divisive election that left half the country deflated and the other
   half rejuvenated.