Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated mainly in several countries of North America, most notably in the United States and Canada. The holiday is observed on the fourth Thursday of November in the US and on the second Monday of October in Canada.

Understand

Generally speaking, the theme of Thanksgiving is one of reflection and gratitude, though in modern times the holiday has become commercialized as well. It traces its roots in the United States to the arrival of Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, which took place in 1620 with the landing of the famous ship Mayflower after a ten-week voyage from England. Thanksgiving can be celebrated either as a religious holiday, with grace (a prayer of thanksgiving) said before the meal and perhaps even attendance at a religious service, or as a secular holiday.

Thanksgiving is traditionally observed with a large and festive meal, customarily featuring turkey as the centerpiece dish. Parades and marathon runs (sometimes known as "Turkey Trots") are common in many places on this day, as well as playing of sports such as football both at the amateur and professional league level. Volunteering at charities such as soup kitchens or homeless shelters is also a popular activity during the holiday, in the spirit of giving back to one's community. Many people gather to celebrate the holiday together with family and friends.

Thanksgiving has become controversial, as some Native American/First Nations people celebrate it but others commemorate it as a day of mourning, and it is also known as Native American Day or National Day of Mourning.

Almost all government agencies and businesses are closed on Thanksgiving Day. In the U.S., most offices also close on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Thanksgiving week, but retail stores and restaurants are open and very busy on those days. Grocery stores are very busy on the days before the main feast. They may be closed on Thanksgiving or open only in the morning.

Get in

The days before and after Thanksgiving are extremely busy travel times. In the U.S., this is the busiest travel time of the year. Airfares are often especially pricey just before and after the holiday, and major roads are often heavily congested, so plan accordingly and prepare to wait. Flights to the U.S. are usually fully booked as American expatriates head home to spend time with their families. If you can, try to avoid traveling by plane or road in the U.S. on the day before Thanksgiving and the Sunday immediately after it.

On the other hand, the roads and the airports are often emptier than usual on the morning of Thanksgiving, as everyone else arrived at their destination the night before. If you don't have too far to go and can travel on the morning of Thanksgiving, you may be able to save money on airfare, avoid the worst crowding, and still reach your destination in time for a later dinner. It may also be possible to travel by road early in the morning on Wednesday before the congestion hits.

Get around

The majority of people fly or drive to their relatives' or friends' houses to celebrate the holiday. The majority of travel during Thanksgiving itself may be spent going to and from activities.

See

The Macy's parade features enormous helium balloons.

In some families, watching televised football on Thanksgiving is on par with a sacred tradition.

• Parades are a common public event in many large cities on Thanksgiving Day. The most famous of them all is Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, an annual tradition that has taken place in New York City every Thanksgiving since 1924, featuring giant floats and balloons representing various entertainment and popular culture icons, as well as corporations. The parade is televised nationally in the United States.
• Marathons and other foot races, popularly known as "Turkey Trots", are often held on Thanksgiving Day. Virtually all of them welcome spectators to cheer on the participants.
• Football games are played in some neighborhoods and communities, and there are televised National Football League games played during the day and evening. Some families schedule the main feast around kickoff time.
• There are many TV specials and some movies related to the holiday, including a live television airing of the annual National Dog Show. Watch some prim and proper pups strut.

Do

• Volunteering, such as by serving meals at soup kitchens, is a popular form of community service many people of all ages participate in on Thanksgiving. This usually requires signing up in advance. If you know that you will be alone in advance, look for a community dinner that you can attend. These may be hosted by senior centers, service groups, religious organizations, or other community groups, and they'll give you a chance to meet local people. At the very minimum, consider volunteering to do the dishes to show some gratitude for someone else who has cooked for you.
• Think about what you're thankful for.
• Call people that you can't see in person, to wish them a happy Thanksgiving. Get a head start on writing Christmas cards.
• Some movie theaters will be open, often with holiday-themed or kid-oriented movies.

Buy

Spending for Thanksgiving is usually for food and related accessories (napkins, plates, glasses), drinks and travel. Some retailers and businesses (e.g., drugstores, supermarkets, gas stations, convenience stores) are open on Thanksgiving, but typically with reduced hours, and limited staff and services offered.

Black Friday is a famous shopping day.

The day after Thanksgiving has become known as Black Friday in the United States, and is arguably the most popular time of the year for major retailers, small businesses, and other services to offer sales of discounted merchandise. The famous (or infamous) Black Friday has expanded to encourage a full weekend of spending, with Small Business Saturday for patronizing local ships, Cyber Monday for buying gifts online, and Giving Tuesday for charitable donations.

While some stores are open on the holiday, others open very early on the following morning, and create a frenzy to attract shoppers. This can include advertising hard-to-get items or a few deeply discounted items, as well as gimmicks like giving a prize to the first 50 people to visit the store that morning.

Eat

This dinner plate is filled with (clockwise from top) turkey, mashed potatoes, two kinds of pickles, corn, candied yams, a slice of cranberry jelly, shrimp, stuffing, green peas, and deviled (stuffed) eggs. Above the plate is a green salad and apple compote.

Thanksgiving meals tend to be big feasts that celebrate the bounty of the land. They are as varied as the people in North America, but they typically feature foods that originate from the Americas, including a roast turkey with stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn (maize), and string beans (green beans). As the main meal of the day, it may be eaten in the evening, but it may also be eaten midday, which is the old-fashioned time for the main meal.

The main course is usually a roasted turkey, but other main dishes can be served as well. The turkey will probably be served with a sweet, tangy cranberry jelly sauce, a tradition that goes back to the Victorian era. A spiral-sliced ham is a popular addition for large groups because it's easy to bake and serve. A small group, or people who don't care for turkey, might choose a roasted chicken or something else entirely. Stuffing (a mix of bread and vegetables that may be stuffed inside the turkey while it is roasting, and/or baked separately and which is called dressing in the U.S.) can be based on wheat bread, cornbread, or wild rice; the only thing that's certain is that the best style is the one that you grew up with.

All sorts of vegetable sides can be served, and nostalgic favorites are often featured. This usually includes mashed potatoes with turkey giblet gravy. String beans may be served plain, with slivered almonds, or in a creamy green bean casserole. Brussels sprouts (which, thanks to modern agriculture, aren't as bitter as their old reputation holds), yellow corn, macaroni and cheese, and dinner rolls are favorites in some families. In the American South, you can expect to see, or at least hear about, sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows on top (or candied yams), and you might encounter sauteed collard greens or an old-fashioned congealed salad.

In the front, a homemade pumpkin pie is ready for the oven. In the back, the pecan pie is cooling.

The iconic dessert is a pumpkin pie, which is sometimes substituted by sweet potato pie that is made with a similar mix of spices. Pecan pie and apple pie are also very traditional, and pies of any sort are very common. However, you may encounter ice cream, cookies, pumpkin bread (which is a loaf-shaped cake with the same flavors as pumpkin pie), carrot cake, gingerbread cake, cheesecake, Jell-O, or any number of other desserts. Popular flavors include cinnamon, apple, pumpkin spice, and chocolate.

Some families start planning their menu more than a month before the holiday. If you are a vegetarian or have other dietary restrictions, and you're attending a Thanksgiving feast at someone else's house, speak up early. Vegetarian main dishes are often based on mushrooms, squash, or beans. Most traditional meats and vegetables can be made gluten-free. It's common for the food to be shared, so ask early if there's anything you can bring.

As an alternative to a big homemade feast, many delis and grocery stores offer take-away meals that require little more work than simply re-heating the food. These must be ordered in advance, and the prices can range from as low as $15 per person to above $50, depending on what you order and where it comes from. Similarly, a small number of restaurants are open, including a few chain restaurants, such as Denny's. Reservations are usually required, including at some restaurants that normally don't take reservations.

The other meals

The night before the big feast is one of the busiest days for pizza places.

The day after the big feast, some people are happy to dive into turkey leftovers, and others want anything else. If your group is in the latter category, a suggestion of chowder, chili, or spaghetti might be welcome.

Drink

Many families do not drink alcohol while others do, so if you are invited to a Thanksgiving meal and are not sure whether it would be appropriate to bring wine, ask the host.

Coffee and tea are typically offered after the savory part of the meal. Other families prefer hot chocolate or apple cider (a non-alcoholic hot drink made from apple juice and spices).

Sleep

Most people sleep at home on Thanksgiving, or at their out-of-town host's place if they are invited to do so. However, almost every hotel is open that day, and many travellers find that a good night's sleep, not to mention a place to escape from Uncle Bob if he keeps ranting about politics, adds to their enjoyment of the holiday. If you are staying with someone, consider bringing a hostess gift.

If you are alone on Thanksgiving, your hotel may be a good source of information about which stores and restaurants are open locally.

Cope

Getting everyone outside can help them feel better.

Overeating and intoxication can be the biggest challenges most people experience during Thanksgiving, so it can be very helpful to strategize in advance how to avoid these pitfalls in order to enjoy the holiday more comfortably. Some families have a tradition of going for a walk in between the main meal and dessert. This helps settle stomachs and gives the cooks a chance to clear the kitchen before serving dessert.

Some people may overspend the next day during Black Friday, so if this tends to be an issue, creating and sticking to a budget can help keep personal finances in check. You can also celebrate the alternative Buy Nothing Day, by buying nothing on Black Friday.

Given the polarization of American society since the mid-2010s, Thanksgiving can be a ripe time for conflict with others you may be spending the holiday with, whenever disagreement surfaces on various issues. In order to avoid arguments or even worse, many people steer clear of sensitive topics, such as politics and religion.

Stay safe

Expect traffic congestion even if the weather is good, and give yourself extra time to arrive at your destination.

Motorists driving under the influence of alcohol can present a real danger during Thanksgiving. Be sure to use extra caution when crossing streets and while in a parking lot. Don't drive under the influence yourself. Even sober drivers can be a hazard, if they are stressed.

Cold weather can cause safety problems. A snowy Thanksgiving is likely only in Alaska and the very northern parts of the US. The southern third of the U.S. rarely sees snow during this holiday (or at all). Rainstorms, but not usually tornadoes or hurricanes, could happen in any part of the country during the holiday. By the time of the U.S. holiday, most of Canada has snow on the ground, but since its own Thanksgiving happens earlier in the autumn, snow is not guaranteed during the Canadian holiday.

Consider not going shopping on Black Friday, as maniacal shoppers have been known to get into screaming matches or even fistfights in their rush to grab whatever they want to buy.

Subsequent holidays

Black Friday immediately follows U.S. Thanksgiving, and kicks off the unofficial holiday shopping season.

Friendsgiving is a Thanksgiving-style feast some people hold with friends, rather than family. It's often a day or two later, to reduce scheduling conflicts.

Christmas is observed within a month (U.S.) or two (Canada) of Thanksgiving. Jews celebrate Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, a bit before or around the same time as Christmas, depending on when the lunar Jewish calendar falls by comparison with the solar Christian calendar.