Canadian Thanksgiv'er

While I sit here waiting for my flight at gate F57—taking full advantage of the free Wi-Fi, I realize that my dual-citizenship has made thanksgiving my favorite holiday. Why, you might ask, well…let’s backtrack a little bit.

First off Canadians have their own thanksgiving that takes place the second Monday of October. Yep it’s true there is such a thing as Canadian thanksgiving. Now, you may be thinking, why on earth do Canadians have their own thanksgiving—I mean, pilgrims and indigenous peoples didn’t share some notable meal in Canada as well, did they? Well, that’s a good question, because honestly, I had no idea either…until I did a little research.

According to the ever-helpful Wikipedia.com, “The history of Thanksgiving in Canada can be traced back to the 1578 voyage of Martin Frobisher from England in search of the Northwest Passage. In this, his third, voyage to the Frobisher Bay area of Baffin Island in the present Canadian Territory of Nunavut, it was also the intention to start a small settlement and his fleet of 15 ships were so fitted out with men, materials and provisions for this purpose.”

So, there you have it. Some guy travelled across some channel and boom…Canadian thanksgiving. Similar to the American version, the typical Canadian thanksgiving meal includes turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, apple/pumpkin pie and my personal fave, sautéed brussel sprouts (not necessarily typical in every Canadian household).

Like our neighbors down south, us Canadians enjoy both watching and playing a little pigskin during the day. However, feel like the Canadian holiday gives you a little more variety of what you can watch on TV during the day. There’s NFL, CFL and since the NHL is currently in another lockout (ugh), they replayed old games of the World Juniors for hockey.

Regardless of whether you have your thanksgiving in October or November, thanksgiving is a great holiday for a couple reasons. First and foremost, you’re allowed—no expected to eat copious amounts of food. In my mind, Canadian thanksgiving marks the beginning of fall, which means the beginning of fall boots and cardigans. It gives me a valid excuse to come back to my hometown and most importantly; I get to spend time with my crazy family with no annoying extras. No cards, no gifts, no expectations, just myself and my family—and a fridge full of leftovers, what’s not to love?