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Thanksgiving Weekend
- 10/10/09
- 22
It is Thanksgiving Weekend here in Canada—about as early a Thanksgiving as we ever have, I think. It comes a long time before the American equivalent, at any rate. The Canadian Thanksgiving is a fair bit like its American counterpart, though without the storied history. Where Americans have great stories about Pilgrims and the Indians who saved their lives, Canadians just know that we get the day off and that it’s a good day to spend with family. It is, I think, my favorite holiday of the year. The weather is usually beautiful, cool and crisp just like autumn should be. The leaves are changing color and beginning to fall.
For many Canadians the day includes parades and festive meals, often including turkey with all the “fixins.” We eat pumpkin and apple pies and squash and whatever other vegetables are available that go well with turkey. Many Canadians regard the American celebration of Thanksgiving to be almost vulgar for its excesses. We tend not to make it a day for huge quantities of food and loud football games. We certainly do not gear up for a “Black Friday” shopping experience the next day where financial excess follows closely behind caloric excess. Thanksgiving is usually a quiet day of hiking, enjoying nature, and enjoying fellowship with family and friends. It is not nearly as significant day as Thanksgiving is in America. Yet there is still something magical about it.
This year my parents are visiting, so my dad and I have been hard at work. My dad relaxes by working, so he and I have torn up and replaced our front walkway and I think this afternoon or Monday we’ll do a bit of plumbing work. And then we’ll sit back and relax and enjoy the time together as family. It sounds like the makings of a pretty good weekend. Speaking of which, I’m going to get back to it. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!
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Comments (22)
I must say ,Tim, your post today brought some sentimental memories to mind of Thanksgiving here in America when I was a little girl. Back then it was not about football(no one had Tv’s yet) or shopping. It was really about seeing and enjoying family, especially many we did not get to see regularly during the year.
During those holidays long ago we spent a lot of time just visiting and enjoying extended family and old friends. It was a beautiful and simple time for a little girl in the early Fifties!
Yeah even Christian brotherhood cannot surpass a non-American telling us about their holiday and taking potshots at its American counterpart. Why the need to negatively state “loud football games” just because it is not what your nation does? Football is a huge part of our culture and is not “loud” (I assume you meant somewhat obnoxious by this) but unifying, memorable, and fun for many of us.
So enjoy your day of Canadian thanksgiving but do so without implying that is better than ours.
C’mon, Ted. I hardly think he meant to denigrate the American holiday, but to give us a Canadian’s perspective. Let’s be honest, though—the American holiday has definitely become much more about football, food and mapping out the next day’s shopping frenzy than it has about giving thanks anyway.
Let’s also be honest enough to admit that the term “excess” is probably a very accurate descriptor of much of American society (particularly with modifiers like “financial” and “caloric”).
Happy Thanksgiving, Tim! And Happy (early) Thanksgiving to you too, Ted!
Well, Ted, I’m an American and there’s just nothing from my childhood, and most of my adulthood, that says we watch quiet football on Thanksgiving.
Yes, it’s part of our culture, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t take away from the message of Thanksgiving at the same time. Face it…it’s the truth.
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your family and holiday!
Tim,
There’s a little more history to Canadian Thanksgiving than that:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_%28Canada%29
Allen Mickle
Enjoy your Holiday and give your Dad some rest. He would probably relax just as well by sitting and watching his grand-children.
O Ted—you need to just get a life, dear!!!!!
My reaction was sort of like Ted’s. Why are you criticizing Thanksgiving in America?
Is Canada so much less secular? I would like to hope so, but that isn’t what I hear.
Have a great life Victoria, but thanks for being concerned:)
Truth is I just do not see a need to take shots at the way Americans celebrate Thanksgiving in order to explain how its done in Canada.
Like it or not, football, feasting, family, and shopping are all big parts of how it is done in America. Can you critique that? Sure. But just because Tim does not like football does not mean it is something inane about the way Thanksgiving is done in America. Some of my best family memories growing up were around Thanksgiving and watching football.
Oh, for pete’s sake! Ted, if you took Tim’s three little sentences in reference to the American Thanksgiving as critical (“taking shots”?), you’ve got awfully thin skin. How do you keep from bleeding all over when the wind blows? Somebody call the waaaaambulance.
Waaaaaaamulance? nice to know some of us still live in the 80’s. Has nothing to do with being thin skinned David. Just get tired of hearing non-Americans take shots at the States. I think my points were valid and rather than any explanation as to why Tim needs to explain Canada’s Thanksgiving by contrasting as to how it is better than America’s I have only gotten snide remarks.
One big difference between the two holidays is this: The Canadian holiday weekend is sooner after the start of school, and only three days long. The US holiday is in late November, and four days long.
Far more than football in our family was the returning home from university of me, and later my siblings. The family gathering seemed incredibly special after the separation since early September. I think that aspect features less north of the border. Three days is too brief to travel a long distance, should it be that. And “missing the family” hasn’t always hit, yet.
Ted,
To be fair, had someone compared their American-type holiday by contrasting its familial and subdued side against my Canadian-type holiday’s materialistic and loud side, I probably would have been irked too, true or not. I’m a Canadian living in the U.S. and while I personally think Canada is better (because it’s my home and it’s what I know and because football games and tailgating bores me to tears), I have seen Americans down here take their families very seriously. More than in my family at least, the people here make time for their moms and dads, brothers and sisters. Even tonight, while sitting in a restaurant (on a big football weekend) I noticed that many of the people around us where families that included moms and dads, in-laws and babies, grandpas and grandmas together at one table.
While I don’t necessarily connect to the culture, I can see that how they celebrate means a lot to them. It’s their way…and when it comes to holidays, Canadians may not be loud (except during the playoffs in certain cities) but they certainly can be just as materialistic. Too, our Canadian population is just a tenth of yours, so per capita, could be that we are just as materialistic. It’s a human thing, not national.cc
Tim,I am so happy you love your country and your traditions….I for one love the light hearted teasing that goes on at your blog about our two cultures. It’s always best if we don’t take ourselves too seriously and you Tim, have handled our ribbing of you over Candian matters very well over the years! I wish our Thanksgiving was earllier like yours so we’d have a longer Christmas season. The older I get the faster it all just seems to speed by, no matter how intentional I am about trying to savor each day.Have a blessed weekend with your family, it is such a treasure!
I [unknowingly] got to enjoy Thanksgiving weekend in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick several years ago with my mom.
For us US-ians, it’s Columbus Day on Monday - which is why I’d picked that weekend to go to PEI in the first place :)
Don’t know if you’ve ever been, but that’s apparently the best weekend to go (unless, of course, you want to go swimming or to the air museum) - it’s the last weekend of their tourist season, so every motel has specials, and the restaurants and gift shops all have sales too :)
Happy Thanksgiving, Tim!
I have often noted “Canadian Thanksgiving” on my American-issued calendar and wondered how similarly or differently our nations celebrate it, so I appreciate your post. It sounds like you’re embodying the act of thanksgiving in your celebration of it this year, with God at its center; and that it what it is ultimately all about.
If I may impinge upon your Thanksgiving, and be thankful(ler), I would like to express my thankfulness for your blog and for you.
May God bless you and your family.
Oh man.. How I would love to take a small break from the Orange County fall and experience fall in Canada!
I’ve got to agree with the comments about the excesses in America’s celebration of Thanksgiving — and I grew up a huge football fan.
Canadian Thanksgiving is always on the second Monday of October, so it can fall on any day from October 8 to 14, so this year’s day isn’t early, but more middling. :)
As an American living in Canada for 11 years, I would agree with you on all points except the “huge quantities of food”. I have seen serious amounts of food go down my Canadian familes throats :o)
Just yesterday my muslim hairdresser asked why Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving and I couldn’t tell her though I had no problem explaining the US version.
Living on the border I have an opportunity to have 2 Thanksgivings.
I never miss yours, as I think the timing is much better.. it is really during the harvest and it is far enough from Christmas to be a stand alone opportunity to thank God for His goodness to us.
My turkey was great, I hope yours was as well :)