T. Hanksgiving

One of the other KNOM volunteers and my housemate, Ross, has become known among our circles of Nome friends as a self-described inventor of new and unorthodox holidays.

One of these holidays is coming up this week, right after Thanksgiving, much in the same way that Boxing Day (in Canada and the UK) follows after Christmas.

It's entitled "T. Hanksgiving," a holiday in which, on one of the weekend days following Thanksgiving (Fri, Sat or Sun), celebrators gather to eat leftovers and watch movies starring Tom Hanks.

According to Ross, with whom I've just conferred on the subject, T. Hanksgiving is, at most, two years old. While the first Thanksgiving, at least in American storytelling, was celebrated in 1621 in Plymouth by religious pilgrims and indigenous peoples, the first T. Hanksgiving was celebrated in 2004 in Pittsburgh by a few college students.

In staging the third installment of the holiday this year, the search has begun to round up as many Tom Hanks movies in the greater Nome area as possible. We already have Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Cast Away (2003) on hand, but we may also be able to borrow or rent others, such as Apollo 13 (1995), The DaVinci Code (2006) or even Sleepless in Seattle (1993).

Will other, even better Tom Hanks options present themselves? We'll have to wait and see what the winds of fate blow our way. With a little luck and a little faith, plus also ample amounts of Stove Top, we may yet discover what T. Hanksgiving miracles are in store for us.

Any fond memories of T. Hanksgivings past, or big plans to celebrate this year? Please feel free to add a comment.