Butterball dished out bird cooking advice to more than 11,000 callers with only 6 overwhelmed phone operators when it started its toll free telephone help line 27 years ago in 1981.

They’ve come a long way since then and have added Web 2.0 technology so you can sign up for timely turkey advice to be texted to your hand-held or you can catch their blog.

The Butterball web page has a place to sign up for text reminders on thawing and cooking guidelines, calculate the size of the bird to suit family size and appetites, and subscribe to their newsletter.  You can have a virtual chat with the experts during the Butterball Web chatline session Nov. 25th from 11a.m. to 1 p.m. CT.   The sections on recipes & ideas and tips & how-tos are stuffed with information to help you through the entire process.

If you’re a new cook hosting your first gathering this page will help take the edge off.  The media page has some good reading, too.  Get personal with some of the All-Star Talkers and Bloggers here.

For a 50 year Thanksgiving  retrospective see “Grandmother’s House.”  MSNBC compiled an interesting set of facts starting with how it was in 1958.

About.com has great tips for you wine selection and there are Ports and Sherries to consider for dessert.

When all have been served you might be ready to relax with a little help from the bar.

There is one day that is ours.  There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to.  Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.

~O. Henry