Thanksgiving Is for Giving ThanksYesterday, my friend and b5media colleague, Mary Emma, kindly wished me a Happy Thanksgiving then asked if there was a Thanksgiving Day in the UK. My first thought was, “That would be like the Brits celebrating Fourth of July!” Then, of course, I set out to do my research.

Fortunately, the research has already been done for me at the Thanksgiving Day website. In the U.S., Thanksgiving Day is a time to:

  • Remember the pilgrims
  • Pay tribute to Native Indians
  • Give thanks to almighty God
  • Celebrate the Traditional Harvest
  • Show gratitude to family and friends with gifts (?!)
  • Mark the start of Black Friday (shopping spree!) and the Christmas Spirit

The counterpart to Thanksgiving in the UK is Harvest Festival which celebrates the success of crops and the Goddess of grain and God of fertility. Unlike the U.S., Harvest Festival isn’t a national holiday but Stephen’s school celebrated with a performance (which he didn’t participate in because he was sick that day) and donating food to a local charity.

Learn something new everyday.


Here’s a Thanksgiving joke Stephen will surely appreciate:

Q: What sound does a space turkey make?
A: Hubble, Hubble, Hubble.