Commercials, Shopping, Eating, Drinking & Football All Part Of This November Ritual
It’s Thanksgiving week and if you’re not from America, you might assume this means it’s when Americans spend time with family and friends giving thanks for all the things we have and are grateful for in our lives.
And, in part and certainly in theory, you would be right.
But in reality, that’s only a small part of what Thanksgiving is in America. Here’s what it really is, in fact.
• Shopping and Commercials About Shopping
No one knows quite why this started but in this country, once people with things to sell get an opportunity they go after it with a frenzy like sharks in the water. Thanksgiving means Americans are exposed to endless ads for a bunch of crap we don’t need because, well, Christmas is only a month away and we must know about every sale every store is having in our immediate area. There is no escaping this onslaught, on the TV, in the newspapers or on the Internet. And don’t even get me started about “Black Friday” (the day after Thanksgiving in which some people actually camp out overnight at stores to be the among first to barge through the doors) and “Cyber Monday (an on-line sales day).
• Food
It’s almost a point of American pride – and tradition – to stuff yourself to the brink of having your belly burst from all the food consumed on Thanksgiving Day. The dinners are big all-day affairs, with several people (groups of friends or family members getting together) gathering from just past noon until early evening. Me, I get too full from having too many deviled eggs before the turkey is served; hey, I can’t help it!
• Drinking
More wine must be consumed on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the week. Because from the minute people arrive to a house (or even before guests arrive to your house if you’re hosting dinner) they have a glass of wine in hand. And they keep on there until the end. The only pause is when they lean back in the chair after the third helping of turkey and mashed potatoes when they say “I can’t eat another bite!” Somehow, tho, there’s room for more wine. Now some people prefer to drink beer (see football, below), do shots of whiskey or whatever or have cocktails. Sometimes it’s all of the above. This is all part of the over-indulgence Americans experience with their food and drinks on Thanksgiving Day.
• Parades & Football
In America, you can’t have Thanksgiving without parades and football. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a tradition that goes back to 1924. It’s one of the greatest American business promotions of all time. This starts off the day when the TV is on non-stop. Women watch this more than men, who settle down in front of the TV for two NFL games, one involving the always-hapless Detroit Lions and the other the Dallas Cowboys. There have been done classic games, too, the Leon Lett screwup and the Clint Longley game in which this no-name quarterback came off the bench to replace Roger Staubach and became a one-hit wonder. After these games then there are college games, which go through the entire weekend. There are so big ones – Alabama-Auburn, Ohio State-Michigan, USC-Notre Dame – that it’s been dubbed Rivalry Week.
• Saying Hi To Mom & Dad, Then Bolting To Party With Your Friends
One of the biggest party days in America is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. That’s because people who go back home for Thanksgiving get together will their local friends before having to behave themselves with their parents and family all the next day. Then they hustle out that night to spend more time partying with their friends.
Happy Thanksgiving from PubClub.com!
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