Atlantic Canada Mondays - Canadian Thanksgiving 2022 Edition
We pause for contemplation and digestion
Filed under: the innumerable similarities yet differences between Canada and the United States
Today (Oct. 10) is the official government holiday celebrating Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Many people will take part in family gathering on Sunday, Oct. 9 - mine is no exception.
I’m hyper-aware (via friends, family and colleagues) that the US celebrates their Thanksgiving day close to the end of November (the 4th Thursday of November, if memory serves) then follows up with Black Friday shopping sales.
Still, many of the rituals are the same between the two countries (food and people; some form of sports enjoyment) but one interesting difference: Thanksgiving Day is reportedly the biggest travel holiday in the US, where in Canada I’m guessing that the Christmas holidays are more popular. One key difference affecting travel may be that like much of the British Commonwealth, Boxing Day (Dec. 26) is a public holiday for many Canadians so it might make travel seem more appealing when you can spend a little more time at your destination, whereas a lot of people in the US probably take Black Friday as a vacation day (If they can), if not the entire week, freeing up some time to be behind the wheel or behind the folding tray.
I don’t think we do anything unique for Thanksgiving Day in Atlantic Canada… I could be wrong, though. If you have any additional Thanksgiving rituals, please tell us in the comments!
Thanksgiving has its baggage in both countries, often thinking about both war (in Canada, Thanksgiving was - for a few years - the same day as Armistice Day, which is now our Remembrance Day - Nov. 11) and the often troubled relationship between the Indigenous peoples living in what is known as North America and those who came to colonize. But there are more similarities than differences in the two holidays, which is a good thing, in my opinion. Although I’m glad we don’t do the presidential turkey pardon in Canada - my US neighbours can keep that tradition.
You don’t need a specific day to be thankful but it often works well to have at least one. And so today, in addition to being able to celebrate this holiday with family, I’m thankful for you, dear H.A.T.T.E.R.1 for taking a few minutes to read these words, and I’m hopeful you’ll be back for more.
H.A.T.T.E.R. = How About This Terribly Enthusiastic Reader, or How About This Terribly Engaged Reader, or How About This Totally Enlighted Reader, or… well, I mean YOU!
You hit everything correctly, Mark, about Thanksgiving in the United States. Although, I could probably rant for hours about how much I hate Black Friday. In the U.S., the Thanksgiving holiday has always been synonymous with being thankful for the incredible bounty we have in this country. Even though homelessness continues to be a problem, many charities take up this holiday in particular as an opportunity to serve and provide food and toiletries for those living on the streets so they can have hope. There are coat and clothing drives in preparation for Winter, and it's a rare time where secular and religious organizations join hands to fight poverty. Black Friday is a very recent invention, and it completely devalues the holiday by focusing on excess, instead of an attitude of humility. All you have to do is watch Black Friday videos on YouTube from previous years to see that in action.
I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving with your family and have much to be thankful for this year!
Embarrassing Admission: I am 47 years old and never knew Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving on the same day we Americans celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day (formerly Columbus Day). So Happy Thanksgiving, Mark, to you and yours!
As far as the travel difference, I think you hit the nail on the head. I would like to expound a bit on Black Friday (a madness in which I refuse to participate). Thanksgiving is on the last Thursday of November, and traditionally (but I’m not sure when it began), offices are closed on the Friday after as part of the holiday. At some point, I’m sure retailers noticed the uptick in purchases on this day and began the Black Friday thing (I think I will have to go research how that all got started). In any case, the Friday after Thanksgiving was never intended to be a “Black Friday” holiday, but just an extension of Thanksgiving.
Also, some offices here (mine!) allow two holidays in December--Christmas Eve and Christmas (or the adjacent work week days if they fall on the weekend). And when I worked for a university in a non-teaching position, we got two full weeks off at the end of December/first of January.
All this to say--I can attest to planning travel around Thanksgiving when I would only have to take 3 vacation days from work if we wanted to take a week vacation!