As the week before Thanksgiving looms near, you daydream of delicious spiced stuffing and creamy mashed potatoes. You reminisce about the warm, inviting fireplace and the aromas of the turkey being carved with care. You look longingly toward the incessant gobbling (pun intended) and the spending of time with family and friends back home. But truly, who gives much thought to the actual history of the holiday?

You may think you know the story. It’s what you learned way back in elementary school, when you were tracing your little hands to make paper turkey thank-you cards. Columbus and the Pilgrims sailed the seas and discovered the New World, and made their homes in the midst of the savage land. The Pilgrims tamed the barbaric Indians, and the Indians reciprocated by teaching them the ways of the land – how to plant crops, how to forage, how to preserve foods, and how to survive in America. As a symbol of their gratitude and mutual fraternity, the Pilgrims and the Indians shared a feast consisting of foods brought and prepared by both groups of Americans. Hence the name – ‘Thanks’ giving. And in modern America, Thanksgiving is time for homecoming, feasting, being grateful, and fostering those feelings of patriotism and familial affection.

Sorry, but it’s time to dissolve that illusion and snap back to reality. Almost every single detail and ‘tradition’ of contemporary Thanksgiving is absolute false. This farcical interpretation of the holiday’s historical significance has been perpetuated for far too long.

Let’s deconstruct this myth. First off, the Pilgrims weren’t the religious beacons of virtue they’ve been made out to be. In fact, they weren’t called Pilgrims at all. They were just regular white people leaving Europe to conquer India, the land of spices. But the truth is, what they found wasn’t India. They knew that then, and we know that now. So why do we continue to call them Indians, and not Native Americans? Moreover, why must an entire ethnicity of people be reduced to simply two words? Shouldn't they be referred to by their tribal names, or even just their own names?

The European settlers weren't as saintly and noble as the faux pedestal they've been martyred onto. And the Natives weren't savage, bloodthirsty or stupid - wild animals as history made them out to be. The settlers, power-hungry as they were, ravaged the land and extracted from it every profitable resource they possibly could. The Natives on the hand, were the relatively perfect hosts, aiding and assisting the settlers every step of the way, even as their entire population was systematically slaughtered. Yes, you read that correctly. Conquering the new land meant conquering every segment of it for the new Americans. This spelled out the murder of hundreds and hundreds of Native people in the name of civilization. The two groups of people were anything but friendly.

Next comes the purported myth of the feast of gratitude. In reality, the Natives worked hard to prepare an elaborate meal in celebration of the harvest of the fall. But the meal was only for the Natives. The so-called grateful settlers simply imposed their presence upon the feast. They ate the carefully prepared traditional dishes and then killed the Natives. And as for the actual food at the feast, it was completely different to what contemporary Thanksgiving preparations include. Being a celebration of the harvest, foods would have included things like acorns and berries, not cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

The other predominant lie that Thanksgiving perpetuates is the disappearance of the Native Americans. We now think of them as some long-lost race who barely exist on a handful of reservations across the country. But as Thanksgiving decorations and food are advertised on shopfronts, on television and in newspapers, it's important to consider who else sees them. The couple down the street or the girl who goes to college with you? They might well be Native or at the least, Native descendants. Isn't it oppressive and offensive to celebrate Thanksgiving in ignorance while having the memories of grotesque genocide rubbed in Native faces, so to speak? Perhaps Thanksgiving Day should be replaced with some sort of tradition of celebrating Native people and raising awareness of their presence and the societal problems they face everyday.

In an attempt at ambivalence, it's also important to examine what the holiday means to Americans today. It rekindles the spirit of gratitude and patriotism in many, while offering most simply a chance to come home for a brief period to see their families and friends. I can't deny the importance of these values, but must they be spread at the expense of others? Instead, why don't we rename the holiday and reteach the history of America, in its truest form?

So as you celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend and you have everyone gathered around the fireplace, maybe having some constructive discussions about the truth of Thanksgiving wouldn't be so bad. It's about changing mindsets and transcending the realm of collective cultural myth to create a new realistic holiday in the fall that doesn’t find its roots in the celebration of genocide.