Canadian Thanksgiving.

[piperdbh]

I've heard of people smuggling cheap cigarettes, but never turkeys.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and may I remind you to be thankful for unpleasant things you don't have.

[kiltedRTR]

I don't want to sound rude or ignorant, and I guess i can google it but what is the history behind the Canadian Thanksgiving? I sort of understand the "history" behind the U.S. thanksgiving but never the Canadian, or why it's on different days.

[Lallans]

I've heard of people smuggling cheap cigarettes, but never turkeys.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and may I remind you to be thankful for unpleasant things you don't have.

I don't want to sound rude or ignorant, and I guess i can google it but what is the history behind the Canadian Thanksgiving? I sort of understand the "history" behind the U.S. thanksgiving but never the Canadian, or why it's on different days.

The joke used to be that you could spot a Canadian in a Vermont grocery store because he had a frozen turkey under each arm and a gallon jug of milk (89 cents or less in those days) in each hand.

I don't know that there's any big story behind our holiday. The date was supposedly chosen because it roughly corresponds with the Canadian harvest season and also with quite a few tradition harvest celebrations in Northern European cultures- but for all I know it was set up at the behest of the Canadian Turkey Marketing Board. And for sure, the exact date was picked to match the US Columbus Day holiday, for the sake of convenience. I would guess we would have gone with the US date for Thanksgiving except for the Thursday thing. Whatever, it works pretty well outside of Quebec, where it tends to get ignored as an Anglo-American concept; nor are Les Quebecois traditionally big fans of turkey or, as I already related, pumpkin pie. I always found that strange since they were here in advance of us Ecossais and would have found both in abundance. But take out turkey and pumpkin pie and what's left?

[piperdbh]

...take out turkey and pumpkin pie and what's left?

Dressing and gravy, my favorite beverage.

[Old Hippie]

***Brrrfffffttt***....Sorry. it was that last slice of pie.

We have it a month earlier up here because if we did it in November, people would freeze to death trying to get to Gran's house in Manitoba. It's now blizzard season on the Prairies.

The other odd thing is it's always the same date up here. Not this "third Thursday" stuff that always gives Americans a four-day weekend. This year we got a three-day weekend. Next year it'll be on a Tuesday, and I suspect we'll work Monday before and Wednesday after. Plus, we get a lot more shopping days before Christmas.

:ootd:

[kiltedRTR]

***Brrrfffffttt***....Sorry. it was that last slice of pie.

We have it a month earlier up here because if we did it in November, people would freeze to death trying to get to Gran's house in Manitoba. It's now blizzard season on the Prairies.

The other odd thing is it's always the same date up here. Not this "third Thursday" stuff that always gives Americans a four-day weekend. This year we got a three-day weekend. Next year it'll be on a Tuesday, and I suspect we'll work Monday before and Wednesday after. Plus, we get a lot more shopping days before Christmas.

:ootd:

Don't diss the 5-day weekend. (I say 5 because in college I get the wednesday before it off also.
And now, places are puting out christmas stuff before or after halloween. You can't get away from the Christmas marketing anymore. Soon, there'll will be christmas sales in August at the rate we're going!

So I've seen jokes about the whole turkey thing so is turkey a common meat on that day?

[Lallans]

***Brrrfffffttt***....Sorry. it was that last slice of pie.

We have it a month earlier up here because if we did it in November, people would freeze to death trying to get to Gran's house in Manitoba. It's now blizzard season on the Prairies.

The other odd thing is it's always the same date up here. Not this "third Thursday" stuff that always gives Americans a four-day weekend. This year we got a three-day weekend. Next year it'll be on a Tuesday, and I suspect we'll work Monday before and Wednesday after. Plus, we get a lot more shopping days before Christmas.

:ootd:

OK I'll bite- why will it be on Tuesday next year? I thought it was officially set to be the second Monday of October.

[Old Hippie]

OK I'll bite- why will it be on Tuesday next year? I thought it was officially set to be the second Monday of October.

I'm gonna plead CRAFT and MFS on this one...

Or sheer stupidity.