November 22, 2006
Time To Re-Schedule
Turkey Day

Blame Honest Abe.  Tomorrow, Thanksgiving, is the year’s favorite holiday.  But celebrating Turkey Day so far down in the fall just makes no sense.  It’s way too close to Christmas. 

As every school child knows, Thanksgiving goes way back to  Massasoit and his Wapanoag tribesman sitting down to dinner with their new neighbors the Pilgrims and celebrating a harvest festival.  But this day of celebration also has a history of moveable dates. 

True, Thanksgiving celebrations have been held throughout our land since 1687 but the dates varied from town to town and state to state.  It wasn’t until President Lincoln declared the final Thursday of November to be the official holiday that Thanksgiving had a somewhat permanent home.  At least until 1939 when President Roosevelt, at the urging of America’s retailers, moved the Thanksgiving holiday back a week to allow more shopping time before Christmas.  Some states went along, some didn’t.  Colorado, along with Texas, couldn’t make up its mind and celebrated two Thanksgivings that year.  Imagine, a Colorado legislature not being able to reach a decision.  Would you believe such a thing? 

In 1941 Congress finally codified the date as the fourth Thursday of November.  Well, I’m here to tell you they got it wrong.  

Why not move Thanksgiving to early October?  Families not having seen one another for almost fifty weeks finally get together in late November and then do it all over again during Christmas three weeks later?  Let us spread out the joy. 

Plus travel conditions are so much better in early fall.  Snowstorms usually have yet to make an appearance meaning fewer worries when it comes to auto and airplane trips. 

For college students, early October would be a much easier time to visit the home twenty.  While they’re indeed here in late November the entire holiday weekend is spent studying for finals.  Then it’s return to the hollowed halls for a couple weeks, take tests, and head right back home on Christmas break.  Does that make sense? 

Retailers would love another six weeks of Christmas shopping.  Plus families gathering at the proposed new date in October would not be as rushed exchanging names for Christmas giving.  There would be ample time to gather the grandkids for a beautiful fall photograph to grace the Christmas card, not the background of November grey one must rush to the printer to get the seasons greetings in the mail by mid December. 

True logistical problems exist.  Were Thanksgiving moved to early October Nebraska would just have to find someone else other than Colorado to beat up in football the day after.  Iowa State maybe?  It’s possible a Thanksgiving in early October would get mixed up with the World Series playoffs but post-season baseball fouling up a holiday is certainly no worry for Cub or Rockies fans. 

Well some folks say, what about Halloween?  Tradition dictates it comes before Thanksgiving not after.  Excellent point.  While we’re at it move Halloween to mid-September.  October 31^st is to cold and dark for little tykes to go trick or treating and by having Halloween earlier parents wouldn’t have to design costumes to fit over a ski jacket and pants.