"Over the River and through the Woods" is a Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...

 song by Lydia Maria Child. Written originally as a poem, it appeared in her Flowers for Children, Volume 2, in 1844. The title of the poem is, "A Boy's Thanksgiving Day". It celebrates her childhood memories of visiting her Grandfather's House

Grandfather's House

Grandfather's house, at 114 South Street, Medford, Massachusetts, is the original house named in the American song "Over the River and through the Woods". Some versions of the song mention Grandmother's house; it is unclear which is the correct phrase...

. Lydia Maria Child was a novelist, journalist, teacher, and wrote extensively about the need to eliminate slavery.

It is sometimes presented with lines about Christmas, rather than Thanksgiving. For instance, the line "Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!" becomes "Hurrah for Christmas Day!". As a Christmas song, it has been recorded as "A Merry Christmas at Grandmother's".

Over the river, and through the wood,

To Grandfather's house we go;

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh

through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river, and through the wood,

To Grandfather's house away!

We would not stop for doll or top,

For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood—

Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes and bites the nose

As over the ground we go.

Over the river, and through the wood,

With a clear blue winter sky,

The dogs do bark, and children hark,

As we go jingling by.

Over the river, and through the wood,

To have a first-rate play.

Hear the bells ring, "Ting-a-ling-ding",

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river, and through the wood,

No matter for winds that blow,

Or if we get the sleigh upset

Into a bank of snow

Over the river, and through the wood,

To see little John and Ann.

We will kiss them all, and play snow-ball,

And stay as long as we can.

Over the river, and through the wood

Trot fast, my dapple-gray!

Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound,

For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood—

And straight through the barnyard gate,

We seem to go extremely slow,

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river, and through the wood,

Old Jowler hears our bells.

He shakes his pow, with a loud bow-wow,

And thus the news he tells.

Over the river, and through the wood,

When Grandmother sees us come,

She will say, "Oh, dear, the children are here,

Bring a pie for everyone."

Over the river, and through the wood—

Now Grandmother's cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

A children's book, Over the River—A Turkey's Tale, recasts the poem as a humorous tale of a family of turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

s on their way to a vegetarian Thanksgiving; the book was written by Derek Anderson, and published by Simon & Schuster

Simon & Schuster

Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...

 in 2005. (ISBN 978-0-689-87635-6)

External links

• Over the River and Through the Woods at about.com
  About.com
  About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....