What happens at Thanksgiving?

[CarolF Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CarolF]

I thought a thread about Thanksgiving traditions might be helpful for travellers to US and Canadian timeshares (what to expect and how to behave). A little googling suggests that it is a very important event for a lot of Americans/Canadians and they miss Thanksgiving when they are away from home. I would also like to know how to be kind to someone far from home on Thanksgiving Day.

Would anyone be prepared to share how their Thanksgiving day might unfold?

Here are some of the questions on my mind -

Is it business as usual or do shops, restaurants, tourist attractions close? Do taxi/bus/train operate?
The name suggests it is a religious event, are there religious rituals? If so, where are they held?
How long does the event last? (1 day, 2 days, a week etc)
Do you say Happy Thanksgiving (or something else) to each other and is there an appropriate response?
What time of day is the celebratory meal held?
If I was invited to a dinner what might I be expected to eat? What will not be served at a dinner?
If I was invited to dinner, should I bring a gift or contribution of some sort? If so, what would be appropriate.
Who attends a Thanksgiving dinner at a home? (friends, family, work colleagues, business associates, neighbours)
What do people wear on the day? (formal, informal, religious symbols) What don't people wear on the day?
I know it is a "holiday" so what do you do other than eat a meal?


Here are some of the posts I found whilst googling -

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUs...uth_Wales.html
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/11...g+in+Australia

From an American trying to celebrate in New Zealand -

Dinner was nice, the turkey was good, the rest was interesting. Everyone brought something, which meant there was a pretty decent variety. Some of the things just didn’t fit with the traditional American Thanksgiving, but it was the thought that counts! Someone brought fish sticks, which was kind of strange! We also had some interesting salads and desserts! It certainly wasn’t a traditional celebration, but it was a lot of fun anyways!

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Carol, Thanksgiving Day was started by the Pilgrims....The first settlers in the US. It was a day of thanks for the reaping of a bountiful harvest. It is both a religious, and traditional holiday in the US. It is National Holiday, and everyone that I know celebrates, regardless of their religion, or origin. It is also the kick-off to the "Holiday Season."

I thought a thread about Thanksgiving traditions might be helpful for travellers to US and Canadian timeshares (what to expect and how to behave). A little googling suggests that it is a very important event for a lot of Americans/Canadians and they miss Thanksgiving when they are away from home. I would also like to know how to be kind to someone far from home on Thanksgiving Day.

Would anyone be prepared to share how their Thanksgiving day might unfold?

Being of Italian decent, my Thanksgiving Day dinner is a combination of the Traditional American meal & Italian dishes, as well.....Typically, we get together with family & some friends for a major food feast. Lol. We would start with drinks, and appetizers of all variations. Our first course would be an Italian antipasto, and then pasta.....Often times Lasagna. After taking a breather, we would then have Turkey, stuffing, mashed & sweet potatoes, an assortment of vegetables, breads, gravy, etc. Desert is again a combination of Italian & American...Pastries, cakes, many different pies, coffee, and after dinner drinks.

Here are some of the questions on my mind -

Is it business as usual or do shops, restaurants, tourist attractions close?

Almost all shops would be closed. Although, recently some of the larger department stores open late in the day, or even all day, to attract buyers who want a head start on holiday shopping.....The day after Thanksgiving is "Black Friday." A true shopping frenzy day in the US, with sales and buyers galore.


Do taxi/bus/train operate?

Train & buses would operate on a holiday schedule. Taxi too, depending on where you live.


The name suggests it is a religious event, are there religious rituals? If so, where are they held?

My family normally says a prayer thanking God for the food on the table, and all other blessings....Some times, we actually go around the table, and each person will say what they are thankful for that particular year.


How long does the event last? (1 day, 2 days, a week etc)

One day....Although, many have off the following day, which is always a Friday. So a nice long weekend, and a chance to get away, or have an extended visit with relatives & friends.


Do you say Happy Thanksgiving (or something else) to each other and is there an appropriate response?
What time of day is the celebratory meal held?

Happy Thanksgiving it is, to one and all. Lol. We start at 2 PM, and generally end around 10ish.


If I was invited to a dinner what might I be expected to eat? What will not be served at a dinner?
If I was invited to dinner, should I bring a gift or contribution of some sort? If so, what would be appropriate.

I think you could expect Turkey, stuffing, lots of vegetables and side dishes, prepared holiday style, cakes & deserts, special drinks, etc.....Bring pie.....Various fruit pies, pumpkin & custards are tradionally served.



Who attends a Thanksgiving dinner at a home? (friends, family, work colleagues, business associates, neighbours)

In my case...always a big family gathering, and some of the above, as well.

What do people wear on the day? (formal, informal, religious symbols) What don't people wear on the day?

Semi-formal in my family. We dress comfortably, since we'll be eating so much food.

I know it is a "holiday" so what do you do other than eat a meal?

We sit around the table for hours talking about whats going on in our lives/the world. We reminisce. Some watch football/movies/the parade, etc. The little kids all play together.


Here are some of the posts I found whilst googling -

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUs...uth_Wales.html
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/11...g+in+Australia

From an American trying to celebrate in New Zealand -

Hope that helped, somewhat. I'm sure others here may have their own version to share.

[CarolF Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CarolF]

Thanks Angela, it helped a lot. It sounds like it might be best for tourists to avoid travelling there at Thanksgiving if many of the businesses are closed. I assume hotels would still serve meals to their guests but I'm wondering how people staying at timeshares would manage to either buy food to cook themselves or find places to eat.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Oh, actually, most of the restaurants, movie theaters, etc., would be open...even Broadway. I'm sorry that I gave you the wrong impression. I think it may depend on where you're visiting in the US. In most cities, you'd be fine. You might be somewhat restricted, but, not enough to stay away.......Theres a huge T'Giving Day parade in NY that you could attend, and then go for a fun brunch, or fine dinner, and even see a play.

Thanks Angela, it helped a lot. It sounds like it might be best for tourists to avoid travelling there at Thanksgiving if many of the businesses are closed. I assume hotels would still serve meals to their guests but I'm wondering how people staying at timeshares would manage to either buy food to cook themselves or find places to eat.

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

ArtsieAng gave you a good overview, so most of this is repeat.

Is it business as usual or do shops, restaurants, tourist attractions close? Do taxi/bus/train operate?

Most shops and tourist attractions close -- Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that places open most of the year will usually close (Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Years Day, sometimes 4th of July). Some grocery stores will be open in the morning, some all day, depending on where you live. Some families have a tradition of seeing a new movie on Thanksgiving, and others of eating out, so it's not like absolutely everything shuts down. But a lot does.

The name suggests it is a religious event, are there religious rituals? If so, where are they held?

Some churches have a Thanksgiving morning service, some don't. Thanksgiving has religious roots that go back to the Feast of Booths in the Old Testament, in terms of what the Pilgrims were doing, but it doesn't have religious roots like Christmas or Hannukah. It's more about having a "spirit of thankfulness" than about a particular religion.

How long does the event last? (1 day, 2 days, a week etc)

In the US Thanksgiving Day is always a Thursday, and most people have the Friday after off, making a four day weekend.

Do you say Happy Thanksgiving (or something else) to each other and is there an appropriate response?

Happy Thanksgiving is perfectly appropriate, both as a greeting and as a response.

What time of day is the celebratory meal held?

Midday is traditional, but some families have it later due to drive time (kids are still in school on Wednesday), because mom doesn't want to get up early enough to get the turkey in for lunch time, or whatever.

If I was invited to a dinner what might I be expected to eat? What will not be served at a dinner?

Turkey, stuffing (aka dressing), mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie are traditional, as is some form of cranberries, often cranberry jelly but there are also salads and breads and desserts and whatnot. Anything considered "party food" is appropriate, from any culture, but everyday food (like fish sticks!) is not so likely. Lots of families have their own traditional food -- I make sheaf of wheat bread with flavored butters every year, for instance, while a friend's family always has cornmeal dressing (more common in the South) and my mom always used to have a dressing based on a box of dried herb bread cubes. They discontinued mom's brand of dressing, which she got pretty wound up about, but happily she found a discussion online and hopes she found a suitable substitute. HUGE deal in my brother's world.

If I was invited to dinner, should I bring a gift or contribution of some sort? If so, what would be appropriate.

If you know the family's tastes, wine or another drink is appropriate, as would be pie of just about any dessert variety. You can also offer ahead of time to bring something, in which case most hostesses will suggest a drink or a dessert.

Who attends a Thanksgiving dinner at a home? (friends, family, work colleagues, business associates, neighbours)

All those are possibilities, depending on the family. Family and family are highly likely, the others less so, but I've met people for the first time when they attended my Thanksgiving dinner because hubby found out they would be alone on Thanksigiving and invited them. A friend of mine in Colorado always had friends of hers out from her college days, along with everyone she knew who didn't have family in town.

What do people wear on the day? (formal, informal, religious symbols) What don't people wear on the day?

Semi-formal. Comfort comes first, but not too casual.

I know it is a "holiday" so what do you do other than eat a meal?

Mostly get together and talk. My family likes to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in the morning; my dad and brother always watch a football game in the afternoon. I have some friends who watch a traditional movie every Thanksgiving afternoon; their traditional movies are different but it's a horror movie in both cases. It's common to have a big meal at noon and then dessert or snacks in the afternoon and left overs for dinner. We have the meal and then an hour or so later dessert and then a few hours after that the kids make cookie candy turkeys and the adults often nibble at something. Oddly enough, we often skip the evening meal.

For years, my brother would eat himself into a bellyache. Not a Thanksgiving tradition I recommend.

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

FUN THREAD!!

What happens at Thanksgiving?

I thought a thread about Thanksgiving traditions might be helpful for travellers to US and Canadian timeshares (what to expect and how to behave). A little googling suggests that it is a very important event for a lot of Americans/Canadians and they miss Thanksgiving when they are away from home. I would also like to know how to be kind to someone far from home on Thanksgiving Day.

Would anyone be prepared to share how their Thanksgiving day might unfold?

In my family it is different each year but I have mostly stepped away from tradition as my family is not near. It is a minor holiday for us now. Many years, I get up and enjoy a day off work. It is always the last Thursday in November, it's pretty late this year.

The name suggests it is a religious event, are there religious rituals? If so, where are they held?

Not at all religious for us altho there is usually a prayer To Give Thanks before the actual meal. Until then, it is generally socializing or watching football or making meal preparations. I would call it a spiritual holiday, however, as the cooperative spirit is what it's about, pilgrims and Indians, sharing a feast, thankful for contributions to society from all. We simply embrace the spirit of being thankful for the family, friends, food and good fortune of all manner in our lives. It is a good day to reconnect with loved ones.

How long does the event last? (1 day, 2 days, a week etc)

could be a couple hours. there were some years we'd take our inlaws to buffet and then off to separate homes.

Do you say Happy Thanksgiving (or something else) to each other and is there an appropriate response?

no big whoop. "Great to see you" is fine, it's casual on this front.

What time of day is the celebratory meal held?

varies by family. 11 am, 3 pm, 8 pm... whatever suits. I will never cook a turkey again but in many households, dinner time is dictated by when the bird is done.

If I was invited to a dinner what might I be expected to eat? What will not be served at a dinner?

People have their own traditions. A friend of mine says Kraft Mac & Cheese was a staple for them, but you would never find that on my table. Everything is from scratch, except maybe pie crust (I no longer have patience for that and don't think I own a rolling pin anymore). Popular items are turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry whatever, pumpkin pie. We do oyster dressing, maybe a pineapple casserole, green bean/mushroom soup casserole with crunchy onions on top ... pies vary, I hate mincemeat, love pecan.

We often had pork roast or a ham. Some are diehard turkey people, but I'm not.

If I was invited to dinner, should I bring a gift or contribution of some sort? If so, what would be appropriate.

Always good to ask as some hostesses insist on doing it all themselves (for some crazy reason!). Wine is almost always a good gift, drinks of any kind, ice, for large celebrations can be helpful. Desserts and rolls are usually appreciated as they will be enjoyed with leftovers if any remain (rolls, in particular, make wonderful later-same-day turkey sandwich holders - it is not unusual to keep eating All Day Long)

Who attends a Thanksgiving dinner at a home? (friends, family, work colleagues, business associates, neighbours)
What do people wear on the day? (formal, informal, religious symbols) What don't people wear on the day?

I have some friends that I call Holiday Orphans, either without family or no near family, and they are always invited. I have invited co-workers that had no where to go but didn't want to be alone. It's not just Family for me if I'm hosting, I'll invite an assortment. My Holiday Orphan meals have always been fun due to the varying mix of people. It has been many years since I've held one but those far from home seemed to be glad to not have to sit home alone, especially if this was their first holiday on their own.

We are casual people now, but as kids, we always had to dress up.

I know it is a "holiday" so what do you do other than eat a meal?

Not Much. we are football folks. eating and football is a full day ; ) Honestly, if you are hosting, there has been so much prep that you are exhausted. BEing expected to do anything other than eat, doze, and watch football is a burden, imo.

I can't understand how so many can get up to go shopping at wee hours. But, presumably some of those hosts go to bed for the night at 8, exhausted.

This year, I'm not sure how my day will unfold. My boyfriend and I leave for Cabo on Sat, and my brother is coming up to spend the holiday with Mom, and may be stopping to see me first late Weds or early Thurs. I'd say it will mostly be a day off work for me. I'll stock some food since bro is coming but there is no likelihood of anything resembling a traditional Thanks feast. There will be football no matter what.

If you know of some that will not get home for Thanks and it seems to bother them, ask them what they miss most, and hope it will be food since you can take them for a surrogate meal. One thing our family never did but seems a useful exercise is to inquire "What are you thankful for?" It's always good to call family on Thanksgiving, and I will call my sister because I will not see her / family.

The truly-On-It people will get their CHristmas cards in the mail next day. I am no such over-achiever.

[Tommyboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tommyboy]

I will not go into great detail because all of the responses have covered the traditions pretty well. I can relate that the mixture of cultures can add unusual foods to Thanksgiving celebrations.

While I was in the Air Force stationed at Frankfurt, Germany I spent almost all of my winter vacation time skiing. Thanksgiving was a great time for our ski club since there were no others celebrating the holiday and it was easy to get the hotel or ski resort to fix up a special dinner. Of course, turkey was not available, so some other substitute was necessary (usually goose). Italy was really special- all of the food was especially good even if it wasn't traditional.

Tom

[StressCadet Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StressCadet]

Thanks Angela, it helped a lot. It sounds like it might be best for tourists to avoid travelling there at Thanksgiving if many of the businesses are closed. I assume hotels would still serve meals to their guests but I'm wondering how people staying at timeshares would manage to either buy food to cook themselves or find places to eat.

Like this....many grocery stores and/or restaurants offer Thanksgiving dinner with all the "fixings" as a take out option. We did this last year at a timeshare at the beach here in California. We added a few of our must have Thanksgiving staples by purchasing before hand. The usual family members were there. The TV was there (for football) and the beach was superb for walking off the large meal.

Most restaurants are open and offer either a normal menu or a Thanksgiving option. I'm not particularly excited about the next day shopping especially with the advent of Internet shopping. I generally stay home the next day. Although, Christmas is usually in full swing that weekend with many decorations and displays. I personally think it's a nice time to travel here in the US.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

We start the morning by watching the New York Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Then the men watch football all day while my wife prepares her awesome turkey dinner. We all sit down to dinner with a prayer in the afternoon. It is a great day. None of us do any Christmas shopping on either Thanksgiving or the Friday after.

[CarolF Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CarolF]

What a wealth of information you have provided for people who will be, or are considering, visiting the US during a Thanksgiving holiday. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, stories, routines and rituals.

There are some common rituals and the first mentioned is a prayer conducted at the table. Thank you - that is an important piece of information. I suspect many of our young people would be unaware of the tradition of praying at the table. I would be soundly reprimanded by some of the young adults in my family if they found themselves in the middle of a religious ritual they had no prior knowledge or instruction about. May I ask, who says the prayer at your table and how are they chosen?

Watching a live parade sounds like an interesting and unique American experience. Watching a parade on TV with an American who could explain it all, would be good too. I have seen few parades and I'm not sure how many international visitors would enjoy being alone and watching a parade on TV in their timeshare. Sometimes, my family views street events as fun and other times as an inconvenience due to traffic restrictions, crowds, access etc. A quick peak shows that the Macy's Parade has Sponge Bob Square Pants, Spiderman, Snoopy and other American kids' characters on floats. I think I might enjoy a short visit but 3 or more hours might be a bit much for me. Are there special foods on sale at a Thanksgiving Parade? If so, what are the 2 things I should buy to get a real taste of American Thanksgiving Parade fare?

Football is mentioned a few times. Thanksgiving occurs on a Thursday, do you have football games televised every day or is there a special Thanksgiving Day Football Match? Do you play football yourselves and/or as a family on Thanksgiving?

BTW, thanks for the information about the food you serve. It is helpful to know that your Thanksgiving food traditions are based on family cultural background too. As a tourist, I personally don't think I would buy a take-out option, mostly because I would need some dish identification assistance and it just wouldn't be fun without all the lovely history and ritual info. British/Australian people are very familiar with savoury pies (usually meat based), dessert pies aren't that common. If you were to ask a European/Australian person to bring a pie to a Thanksgiving meal, expect to be surprised .

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

May I ask, who says the prayer at your table and how are they chosen?

Some families say a prayer before every meal; sometimes the Thanksgiving prayer is a bigger deal, often not. When I was a kid, my paternal grandfather said the prayer at their house, everyone said a silent prayer at my maternal grandparent's house, and my family said the same prayer in unison at home. At Thanksgiving, in groups of mixed belief systems, the "prayer" is often just a "quiet moment of thankfulness" if anything, although my MIL used to have my husband say a prayer at Thanksgiving even though they're not all believers. His prayer was usually something like "We're all thankful everyone made it here and it's good to be with those we love" although sometimes he'd mention something in the past year (i.e., "we're grateful brother came back safe from Afghanistan"). Unless you've got someone there who likes attention (I have a pastor relative who will expect to say the prayer and will ramble a bit ), it shouldn't be a big deal. When you've got a mixed belief group or a majority of unbelievers, might be no group prayer, or you might hear a prayer like these:


For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson


When turkey’s on the table laid,
And good things I may scan,
I’m thankful that I wasn’t made
A vegetarian.

-Edgar A. Guest


Good food,
Good treats,
Good God,
Let's eat!

Your average kid knows it, but no poet claims to have written that last one.

Are there special foods on sale at a Thanksgiving Parade? If so, what are the 2 things I should buy to get a real taste of American Thanksgiving Parade fare?

I don't think there are Thanksgiving Parades many places -- the only people I've known who've seen a Thanksgiving parade live (or been in one), it's Macy's. If there's parade food peculiar to the parade, I've never heard about it. Macy's parade is on the TV for three hours, but a good hour of that is actually performances from current Broadway shows done in front of Macy's Department Store, and it's essentially three hours of commercials with a ton of hype and a few balloons and floats. It drives the marching band lovers in my family crazy, because you can hear the bands in the background, but rarely get to watch them through an entire song.

there a special Thanksgiving Day Football Match? Do you play football yourselves and/or as a family on Thanksgiving?

The NFL has had a football game on Thanksgiving since 1920; currently I think they do two games, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, but not being a football fan I couldn't swear to that. Friends, families, and other groups who're really into football can have games on Thanksgiving as well, but they're pretty informal and often the only ones who actually go out for it are the players. Everyone I've known who did that, it was a morning game and then they'd break up and rejoin their families for dinner, but I think some people make a day of it with an outdoor picnic. I suspect that's where a lot of the deep fat fryers you can stick a turkey into end up.

British/Australian people are very familiar with savoury pies (usually meat based), dessert pies aren't that common. If you were to ask a European/Australian person to bring a pie to a Thanksgiving meal, expect to be surprised .

Although turkeys are traditional in Canadian Thanksgiving dinners, I would guess that pork pie is pretty common in French Canadian areas, or when someone's got a large group coming. In the U.S. when the turkey might not go far enough, the second meat will usually be ham. And supposedly Canadian pumpkin pies are less sweet and not custardy; my family is so fond of the American style I've never even looked at a Canadian recipe. A non-custard pumpkin pie...

I like pork pie and fidget pie all kinda lots, but we have those in January.

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

The prayer... for whatever reason, it was always my Dad who said it when we hosted, my Uncle when they hosted.

I think some families switch who does it and presumably kids also get to do it.

I wouldn't call it religious altho it is a Thank You offered to whomever one worships. We aren't religious people but we do believe in a supreme being and that is who we offer thanks to.

Note that some families say a prayer before every meal. We were pretty much holiday-only on that.

If you happen to be with people that may not take kindly to prayer, then I would suggest doing the around-the-table What Are You Thankful For?

There is always football on Thanksgiving. Some families will go outside and toss the ball around. An excellent tradition that we just don't have.

Shopping is not a tradition for us, never will be. Unless necessary, or travelling home, we try to not leave the house on Friday (there are only a few jobs that have granted me Friday off).

[ptlohmysoul Member Find all posts View Profile Close ptlohmysoul]

In non-urban areas (i.e. suburban and rural), grocery stores are open (some are only open part of the day). Convenience stores/gas stations are open all day. Very few restaurants are open and some require advance reservations. But every year, more things are open on this day.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Families get together and have a meal- take an after dinner nap and sometimes get into disagreements, Turkeys go on sale everywhere, gas prices go up just before until a short time after, good luck finding air travel, many businesses close for the day and sometimes the day after, Indians bemoan the fact they ever tried to help the invading Pilgrims, but keep the Casinos open.

[StressCadet Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StressCadet]

Families get together and have a meal- take an after dinner nap and sometimes get into disagreements, Turkeys go on sale everywhere, gas prices go up just before until a short time after, good luck finding air travel, many businesses close for the day and sometimes the day after, Indians bemoan the fact they ever tried to help the invading Pilgrims, but keep the Casinos open.

So much truth here.