Do you observe Thanksgiving?

MGibster said:

Because our current Thanksgiving isn’t directly tied to the harvest. The holiday as we know it today wasn’t finalized until the 20th century when it was fixed to a particular day.

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But why choose that particular day?

Paul Farquhar said:

But why choose that particular day?

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It was part of the economic stimulus plan President Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt introduced to turn the Great Depression around. It is designed to soup up the Christmas spending season, and has worked for nearly 100 years to do so.

Parmandur said:

It was part of the economic stimulus plan President Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt introduced to turn the Great Depression around. It is designed to soup up the Christmas spending season, and has worked for nearly 100 years to do so.

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Didn't Roosevelt want it even earlier than it is now? (I want to say it didn't particularly bump sales when he changed it?) I thought Lincoln picked a late Thursday in November? (And then there was an issue when it fell on the last day of the month iirc).

Cadence said:

Didn't Roosevelt want it even earlier than it is now? (I want to say it didn't particularly bump sales when he changed it?) I thought Lincoln picked a late Thursday in November? (And then there was an issue when it fell on the last day of the month iirc).

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OK, now I went down the rabbit hole.

November 25, 1783 was the day when British forces left New York City, and was widely celebrated as a holiday, Evacuation Day, for nearly 100 years, along with earlier Calvinist originating Thanksgiving celebrations celebrated at the state level in late Novrmber usually. Lincoln solidified combining those two on the Federal level, and Roosevelt tried to change the date to thw third Thursday for commercial purposes and failed ("Franksgiving").

So, the date seems to be largely "forget the British army, neiner neiner"

trappedslider said:

Hence why we go with deep frying otherwise it would take years to cook in a oven.

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Good call!

Johnathan

Also,, and I can't believe I forgot, but happy belated Butt Fumble Day to those who celebrate

Well, we had our Thanksgiving meal today; it was a snowy day and a good day to stay in. It was just the basics: turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, peas, and corn, but that was good enough for us.

Afterwards, when the leftovers were in the fridge and the dishes were in the dishwasher, my wife asked about initiating her favorite "post dinner" Thanksgiving ritual, and I immediately mentally went to Mount Crumpet, thinking "There must be a way to stop A Christmas Story - but how?"

But nah, let her have her fun. My two sons are upstairs, dutifully watching it with her on DVD in the living room. I, having done so with her for at least 30 of our 41 years of marriage, would rather not sit through a 31st viewing.

Johnathan