Thanksgiving Weekend begins with the annual national holiday in the United States and Canada of Thanksgiving Day, celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year.   In the US Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November while in Canada nearly one month and a half earlier (second Monday of October).   Thanksgiving has deep roots in religious tradition, but nowadays it is primarily celebrated as a secular holiday.   The Sunset Church of Christ office will be closed for the Thursday and Friday before this weekend.

Thanksgiving tradition began in early XVII century, but the date and popularity varied between states.   First nation-wide Thanksgiving was proclaimed on November 26, 1789 by George Washington.   The contemporary date of fourth Thursday of November was set in 1941 by federal legislation.

Thanksgiving Celebration

Thanksgiving is a great time to be thankful and appreciate who you have and what you have.   It is a time for families to meet, socialize and enjoy each other’s company, sometimes the only opportunity in a year.   Some prefer it to Christmas because of less emphasis on consumerism.   Thanksgiving, for most, is also a start of a four day weekend which is great, too.

Thanksgiving Date

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed national Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated on the final Thursday of November.   The rule of declaring the final Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day was followed until 1939.   In 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the fourth (next-to-last) Thursday of November as Thanksgiving instead of the last, fifth one.   The change of Thanksgiving’s date was intended to extend the shopping season before Christmas and help bring the country out of The Great Depression.   In the same manner, Thanksgiving in 1949 and 1941 was celebrated on third (next-to-last) Thursdays.   In December 1941 Thanksgiving date was fixed as the fourth Thursday in November.