Happy Thanksgiving

Source: www.123rf.com

Thanksgiving in Canada comes a bit earlier than in the States. Just as Thanksgiving in the States is celebrated at harvest time, the same goes for Canada, but harvest time is a little earlier. It is held the second Monday of October, and has been a national holiday since 1957. Since being married, Courtney and I have been to or hosted a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner for our friends every year. Yesterday Courtney was home for Thanksgiving for the first time in seven years, and it made her really happy. It was my first time in Canada for the event, and I noticed that some things were the same and others different.

• Vacation Aspect: The vacation aspect of Thanksgiving compared to the States is low. Since the holiday is on a Monday, people get a day off work and children miss a single day of school. That's a huge difference to me, as kids get at least two days off, three in some districts (and at most universities). Because people go to work and kids go to school the following day, traveling long distances for the holiday is not as prominent. We went to the walking trail around Glenmore Lake, seeing many other families enjoying their day together.



Source: thimbleanna.co

• Dinner: We had dinner on Sunday instead of Monday, but I believe Monday is the day of choice for feasting for most Canadians. The dinner was the same--turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, thand other veggie sides. The one difference was dessert. Apparently it's not as important to have five different types of pie for dessert as it is in the states. Granted, there were only six adults (and two children) and my family probably eats more pie than most due to the four sons and a hereditary sweet tooth (thanks, Mom), so maybe one apple and one pumpkin is actually normal for dinner. But to me it seems like the more desserts it has, the more American it is. (I feel like you need at least 2 pumpkin, 1 chocolate chip, 1 banana cream pie and 1 pecan to make Thanksgiving official.)
• Family: Spending time with family is just as important in Canada. However, because it is only a one-day holiday your Aunt Margret isn't going to fly in to Calgary from Halifax for dinner (your brother, Liam, might drive up from Lethbridge, though). You spend the day with whatever family is near, which is really nice. 



Source: http://slam.canoe.ca

• Football: There actually is football on Thanksgiving here! We got 14 people from the church to show up for a game in the morning, but apparently that's more than most years. Plus, the CFL plays two games on Thanksgiving, like the NFL, but different teams play every year. That's actually a plus, because you don't have to A) see Jerry Jones on TV B) struggle though years of watching a horrible Lions team. On the flip side, it is CFL, and I the transition to CFL fandom hasn't been as easy ( even though the Calgary Stampeders are in first place and ex-BYU quarterback Max Hall is starting for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers). I'm sure that in time I will learn to love it.
• Shopping: There is no Black Tuesday accompanying Canadian Thanksgiving. Their big shopping discount day is called Boxing Day (December 26th). More on that in a couple of months.

We had a great little weekend and it's back to real life today. We have so much to be thankful for here, even if some things haven't gone our way.