Why is Thanksgiving so early this year?

By Ron Newman on Thu, 11/15/2007 - 10:02am

You can blame FDR, who moved the holiday in response to business people who wanted a longer Christmas shopping season.

Topics:

Holidays

History

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Thanksgiving

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Comments

Why so late?

By Gary McGath on Thu, 11/15/2007 - 12:08pm.

The real question is why Thanksgiving is so _late_ in the year. Anyone who's lived in New England knows that the Pilgrims couldn't possibly have had their harvest feast in late November.

For that matter, should the president of the US even be proclaiming a date for giving thanks to a deity?

Little Ice Age

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 11/15/2007 - 12:14pm.

Yeah! I always wondered about that! Particularly since the northern hemisphere was firmly in the grip of a short-term cooling trend in the 1620s. This period of very cold winters and moderate summers is colloquially known as the little ice age.

Canadian Thanksgiving

By Ron Newman on Thu, 11/15/2007 - 12:34pm.

is our Columbus Day -- second Monday in October.

This gives new meaning to

By Spatch on Thu, 11/15/2007 - 12:47pm.

This gives new meaning to the joke in Fibber McGee & Molly about FDR telling his press secretary that he wants to his Christmas shopping "Early" (FDR's first press secretary was Stephen T. Early, y'see, and ... man that was corny.)

What's next, moving

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 11/15/2007 - 12:51pm.

What's next, moving Veteran's Day back to November 1?