# When Do Americans Eat Thanksgiving Dinner? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 22, 2002, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062 "2002-11-22T01:03:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/1 "2002-11-22T01:03:02Z")
When do most Americans (or perhaps I should ask “most Dopers”) sit down for the big Dinde-fest? I know that the Thursday is the actual day of Thanksgiving, but is it a travel day, with the feast on Sunday, or vice-versa? It’s easier here in Canada, since Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday in October, so _in general_ most Canadians have the big meal on the Sunday. Mind you, I guess we’re gypping ourselves out of an extra day, since I understand that a lot of Americans take the Friday and make it a 4-day weekend. So, what’s big day for most US Dopers??? ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/2 "2002-11-22T01:03:58Z")
The actual day - Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/3 "2002-11-22T01:10:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rodd Hill \* > **I know that the Thursday is the actual day of Thanksgiving, but is it a travel day, with the feast on Sunday, or vice-versa?** It’s funny, but I reacted to this question with shock and horror. Not eat the turkey till the weekend? Heavens! Given that Americans have managed to move most national holidays to the nearest Monday in order to get a long weekend out of it, it is rather odd that we still cling to a Thursday holiday. However, no one I know has ever celebrated Thanksgiving on any but the actual day. It would be like celebrating Christmas on the nearest weekend for convenience. In fact, my family members go to an incredible amount of trouble to get here by Wednesday night so that we can all sit down to the feast on Thursday. It would make much more sense for us to eat Friday or Saturday, given that they all stay till Sunday morning. I wouldn’t dare suggest it, though, since that would be sacrilege. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/4 "2002-11-22T01:14:50Z")
Definitely Thursday! After all, it IS Thanksgiving. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CthulhuSpawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@CthulhuSpawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CthulhuSpawn)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/5 "2002-11-22T01:44:31Z")
Thursday! Thursday! Thursday! Anything else would be ever so wrong. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/6 "2002-11-22T03:10:10Z")
We eat on Thursday. We eat a lot. We need the three day weekend that follows to recover completely. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/7 "2002-11-22T03:18:52Z")
Well, three-to-zip; admittedly not a wide sampling, but a clear answer. So the Wednesday and Thursday consist of a nationwide insane scramble for airplane, train, bus and burro tickets? I have heard that it is the biggest travel holiday south of the 49th; do many folks just bag the whole work week and travel early? ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/8 "2002-11-22T03:19:55Z")
And, of course, when I say three-to-zip, I mean four-to-zip. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/9 "2002-11-22T03:20:31Z")
In a former life, when I was juggling two sets of kids and two sets of “ex’s”, there were many occasions when the meal had to be on the preceding or the following weekend, in order to accomodate everyone. The most discrepancy I found (which folks actually argue about) is whether to eat at noon or at the evening meal. My Mom was from Illinois and preferred the night time meal. My first husband thought it terribly wrong not to eat at noon. Maybe it’s because, in that family, the hunters traditionally set out for the First Deer Hunt of the Year! right after Thanksgiving dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/10 "2002-11-22T03:21:08Z")
Or even five-to-zip. It’s the metric sytem up here, you see… ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/11 "2002-11-22T04:03:54Z")
At the Lorenzo home we eat T’day Dinner at 2:00 p.m. on T’Day proper. Tradition. Any other days seems inconceivable to me. 'Course the past two years my wife’s sister’s family showed up two hours late and Mrs. Lorenzo insisted we had to wait. Lots 'o fun trying to keep a bazillion things at correct temp without burning or drying out for an extra two hours. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/12 "2002-11-22T04:10:29Z")
Thursday. I don’t know anyone who eats on the weekend. As for travel, most people travel Wednesday night after work. Friday is generally a holiday is well, so it’s a four day weekend. Come back Sunday. All fat. Mmmm…Thanksgiving. ---
**Author:** ![japatlgt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@japatlgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japatlgt)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/13 "2002-11-22T04:24:19Z")
Thanksgiving Day definitely with leftovers to follow. Actually there’s usually enough to do it all over again. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/14 "2002-11-22T04:57:55Z")
Thursday, definitely. I’d agree that most people cut out a little early on Wednesday, or get out of town right when work ends. Unfortunates have to work the following day, but many people get the Friday off as well. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/15 "2002-11-22T05:21:58Z")
Lorenzo, we are in the same time zone and also eat at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. That allows time for a little bit of a sleep in and the cooking. But this group doesn’t wait for anyone! Why accomodate rude people? It is not fair to the cook. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/16 "2002-11-22T05:29:04Z")
I can’t fathom eating Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of the afternoon. It’s dinner. Granted, we do eat earlier than usual because we eat more than usual, but that means dinner at 6 instead of 8. Or, when we’re at one of the parents’ houses, 5 instead of 7. Dinner at 2 in the afternoon? That’s a late lunch! Oy! ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/17 "2002-11-22T05:35:54Z")
Thursday. Always Thursday. Wednesday is a horribly hectic travel day. Fortunately, after eighteen years of struggling to get home to NYC from Boston through the incredibly crowded Northeast Corridor, I moved to NYC last year and can now bring the dessert by hand to the parents. We usually eat mid-afternoon after those of us not on kitchen duty come back from the Macy’s parade. ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/18 "2002-11-22T05:42:01Z")
Thursday - 2PM and, leftovers, of course, on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/19 "2002-11-22T06:01:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rodd Hill \* > \*\*Well, three-to-zip; admittedly not a wide sampling, but a clear answer. > > So the Wednesday and Thursday consist of a nationwide insane scramble for airplane, train, bus and burro tickets? I have heard that it is the biggest travel holiday south of the 49th; do many folks just bag the whole work week and travel early? \*\* I just spent three weeks trying to get a reasonably priced ticket on thursday morning so I could make it to the place I’m going by Thanksgiving dinner. There was no such thing as a reasonably priced ticket Wednesday night. In my family, it tends to be a mid-afternoon meal (Planned for 2ish, served around 4ish. First set of leftovers that night.) But I’ve done it either way and don’t have a strong opinion on that one. Under extreme circumstances, it may be celebrated on another day. But pretty extreme…really, really extreme. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062/20 "2002-11-22T06:33:35Z")
Tradition is the main reason, we all are saying it is on Thursday, but think of this: [ul] **Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year** Can you picture the men fixing the meal and then waiting [sup]and waiting…and waiting[/sup] for the women to return for the meal. _I don’t think so!_ :D[/ul] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-americans-eat-thanksgiving-dinner/138062.md?page=2)