Oh, we know that our neighbours to the south look at us with surprise when we announce that we’re prepping for Thanksgiving before Halloween. Sure, their four-day weekend is awesome. And then there’s all that football! (Even though the CFL has a Thanksgiving Day Classic, it’s not quite the same).
But really, there are a few advantages to celebrating turkey day a little earlier than the fourth Thursday in November. Here are some of the best.
1. We can celebrate at the cottage. Cottage in October? Crisp, cool and beautiful. Cottage at the end of November? Potentially snowy and downright frigid. Take your pick.
2. We can enjoy the leaves. Instead of falling into a turkey coma after dinner, celebrating Thanksgiving in October means we can take a walk with the family, admiring the lovely fall foliage—much nicer than squashing through slush or staring at a blizzard out the window.
3. Our day of gratitude isn’t followed by a frenzy of blatant consumerism. Yeah, that’s always seemed a little weird to us. Take a day to feel grateful, then spend the next day trampling strangers for a big screen. Having Thanksgiving in October allows us to really savour what matters most: friends, family, and our good fortune. Plus, we don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn the day after our big feast.
4. We get a break between turkey meals. Oh, we like turkey and all the trimmings. But having Thanksgiving in October means we can take a little breather before Christmas celebrations really get underway, allowing us to recover from the stresses of cooking a meal for 20 that includes a diabetic aunt, a vegan teenager, and a brother’s gluten-free girlfriend.
5. We don’t have to worry about snow…much. Oh, sure, we get freak snowstorms in October. But the likelihood of a Snow-pocalypse goes way, way up as you get through November.
But the best thing about Thanksgiving in October? If we have American family or friends, we all get to celebrate twice!
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