I am German and I know who celebrates what in Germany ;-) Thanksgiving is just a Christian event usually on a Sunday but not a dedicated party or celebration event. Sometimes peoples have some special decoration for church service and/or kids having a special performance. No turkeys around!
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I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.