Today, as we know, is The Day of Onerous Tasks. What, you've never heard of The Day of Onerous Tasks? Well, thank goodness Mr. Spy has taken upon himself to correct this historical oversight. And having been fully sated on Thanksgiving feastery, has had a change of heart about the posting of his words in this space. So here it is:

The Day of Onerous Tasks
by Mr. Spy

Each year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, families spend a special day together. This day is called the Day of Onerous Tasks. (Tasks are jobs or chores. Onerous means not fun and not pleasant.)

The Day of Onerous Tasks was first celebrated by the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1621. After eating their first Thanksgiving feast, the Pilgrims found they were left with many dishes and pots to wash. There were also many empty bottles and shattered casks scattered around the colony. (Casks are barrels filled with alcoholic drinks for grownups.) Someone had to clean this mess up.

The Pilgrim grownups noticed that the Pilgrim children seemed to have a lot of energy. This was because the Pilgrim children had spent the First Thanksgiving eating many sweet, sugary pies and cakes and turkeys covered in maple syrup. The grownups, on the other hand, were very tired from all their hard work and heavy drinking. The grownups decided that the children should clean up all the dishes and bottles and shattered casks.

So on the day after the first Thanksgiving feast, the children of the Plymouth colony were instructed to stay home from school and clean up the colony�s mess. There was much complaining. Many time-outs were ordered. But eventually the colony was made clean again. This was the first Day of Onerous Tasks.

Today, families all around the country still celebrate the Day of Onerous Tasks. Children still complain about their chores and parents still order time-outs. But the Day of Onerous Tasks is an important part of the Thanksgiving celebration. How does your family observe the Day of Onerous Tasks?

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