We wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and for all of the non Americans among us, we wanted to take the opportunity to tell you a little about what Thanksgiving means to your new neighbors.
First of all, Thanksgiving is an excuse for everyone to do two of America’s favorite things – eat and watch football! Seriously though, it’s the major holiday in the U.S. for families to come together and spend time catching up on a break from their busy lives.
Almost everyone gets a day off for Thanksgiving and you will hear of people traveling across the country to be with their family. There are lots of fantastic traditional foods – turkey, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie – and lots more. Imagine the biggest celebratory meal in your home country – and then double it! That’s an American Thanksgiving Dinner.
Of course, Thanksgiving Day is actually a long standing tradition in the US dating back, some say, to a harvest celebration in 1621 in Plymouth, New England. It is now celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday of November and you will find just about everything closes down for some of the day if not all. Check websites for any stores you plan to visit and buy your food before the stores close on Wednesday evening to be sure you have what you need.
After this day of rest though, be ready to shop! The Friday following Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday and it’s the day when all the shops have sales. People will go out to stand in line for hours for the best deals from the major stores and you will have to be ready to battle crowds if you want to secure some bargains for yourself. Lots of online sales will begin on the night of Thanksgiving and some stores have begun to open too – but this brings some controversy as it is meant to be a time for families to relax together away from work.
If you can’t face the crowds on Friday, don’t worry! There will be sales for several days and the Monday following Thanksgiving is now known as Cyber Monday because that’s when the major online deals will be released.
Most people will have heard of the Macy’s Parade which takes place in New York and is world famous. This year the parade celebrates its 90th year so expect some extra special inflatables and guests!
This truly is one of the best days to see America at its finest. Glorious celebrations and families coming together to appreciate the fact that they live in one of the best places in the world!
Enjoy your American Thanksgiving everyone!
