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Vol. 2,  No. 26, November 20, 2011
TITLE: “THANKSGIVING DAY USA: I like dinner, sales,offers – don’t you*”
INTRODUCTION
 
Now in the bottom half of November, Americans are thinking about Thanksgiving. Turkey and stuffing are on their minds. It got me thinking as well. My book of the week is:  “Thanksgiving: The Biography of an American Holiday [Paperback] James W. Baker (Author), Peter J. Gomes (Contributor)”. Hence, my subject is Thnksgiving, the American day.  (Editor’s Note: This is another of a series on holidays and special dates.) 
 
PREVIEW: For next week, I am planning to discuss decorations ( inside and outside) : wreaths, lights, inflatables, etc.  This is another in the series about holidays and special dates.

The Point
 
Thanksgiving Day is an important day regardless where, why or how it’s celebrated.  Whererever you are join with family and make it memorable!

S & R* QUOTE #1: Mark Twain
“The perfection of wisdom, and the end of true philosophy is to proportion our wants to our possessions, our ambitions to our capacities, we will then be a happy and a virtuous people.”
(Source:  http://www.wisdomquotes.com/topics/wisdom/index5.html)

S & R* QUOTE #2: Bo Lozoff
“The great teachings unanimously emphasize that all the peace, wisdom, and joy in the universe are already within us; we don’t have to gain, develop, or attain them. We’re like a child standing in a beautiful park with his eyes shut tight. We don’t need to imagine trees, flowers, deer, birds, and sky; we merely need to open our eyes and realize what is already here, who we really are — as soon as we quit pretending we’re small or unholy.”
(Source:  http://www.wisdomquotes.com/topics/wisdom/index5.html)

S & R* QUOTE #3: Stephen Sigmund 
“Learn wisdom from the ways of a seedling. A seedling which is never hardened off through stressful situations will never become a strong productive plant.”
(Source:  http://www.wisdomquotes.com/topics/wisdom/index4.html)
 
ANNEX II
SCHEDULE I
“IT WORDS FOR ME!*”
“For today, my word/phrase(s) are: “Thanksgiving Day”; “Black Friday”; etc.

Thanksgiving Day
“Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, has officially been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863, when during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.[1] As a federal and popular holiday in the U.S., Thanksgiving is one of the “big six” major holidays of the year (along with Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day). Together with Christmas and the New Year, Thanksgiving is a part of the broader holiday season.”

Black Friday
“Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.”

SCHEDULE II
STUDY/STATISTICS:

“The event that Americans commonly call the “First Thanksgiving” was celebrated to give thanks to God for guiding them safely to the New World.[2] The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days, providing enough food for 13 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.[3]The first documented thanksgiving feasts in territory currently belonging to the United States were conducted by Spaniards in the 16th century.[8][9][10] Thanksgiving services were routine in what was to become the Commonwealth of Virginia as early as 1607,[11] with the first permanent settlement of Jamestown, Virginia holding a thanksgiving in 1610.[8]On October 6, 1941, both houses of the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution fixing the traditionallast-Thursday date for the holiday beginning in 1942. However, in December of that year the Senate passed an amendment to the resolution that split the difference by requiring that Thanksgiving be observed annually on the fourth Thursday of November, which was sometimes the last Thursday and sometimes (less frequently) the next to
last.[27] On December 26, 1941 President Roosevelt signed this bill, for the first time making the date of Thanksgiving a matter of federal law.[28 On Thanksgiving Day, families and friends usually gather for a large meal or dinner. Consequently, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year.[39 Since 1924, in New York City, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is held annually every Thanksgiving Day from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square, and televised nationally by NBC.American football is an important part of many Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States. Professional football games are often held on Thanksgiving Day; until recently, these were the only games played during the week apart from Sunday or Monday night. The National Football League has played games on Thanksgiving every year since its creation; the tradition is referred to as the Thanksgiving Classic. The Detroit Lions have hosted a game every Thanksgiving Day since 1934, with the exception of 1939–1944 (due
to World War II).The day after Thanksgiving is a day off for some companies and many schools. It is popularly known as Black Friday, because of the heavy shopping that
day helps put retailers’ books back into black. Black Friday has been considered by retailers to be the start of the Christmas shopping season since as early as the 1930s.”

(Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States))
SCHEDULE III
S & R* NEWS ALERT* #1:Giving thanks around the world
“Thanksgiving isn’t just a North American tradition. People around the world gather with friends and family to reflect on blessings and appreciate the good things in life. Whether you own a little or a lot, you can always find something to be grateful for, says Mark Lukowski, CEO, Christian Children’s Fund of Canada. And a successful harvest is definitely worth celebrating, as seen in many of the countries where we work.Here are some interesting harvest celebrations from around the world: In Ghana (Western Africa), tribes celebrate the Yam Festival with song and dance. Yams are a common food in many African countries and are the first crop harvested. The Yam Festival is usually held in the beginning of August at the end of the rainy season. Other African tribes celebrate the Homowo Festival which means hooting at hunger with parades to mark the ongoing fight against famine. In Northern India, wheat is harvested either in late February or early March. At this time, they celebrate the Holi Festival, which lasts five days. During this festival, people dress up and others play games like throwing coloured water and red powder at each other. People build bonfires and afterwards, the ashes are rubbed on people’s foreheads in order to bring good luck for the coming year.To celebrate Thanksgiving, you can help someone in a developing country build their harvest by purchasing garden tools, vegetable seeds, and fruit trees through Christian Children’s Fund of Canada’s gift catalogue at:
www.ccfcanada.ca. ”
www.newscanada.com
 
S & R* NEWS ALERT* #2:Learn your personal exemptions for cross-border shopping
“Don’t spoil a cross-border shopping spree by finding out you have to pay unexpected duty at the border. One way to avoid such a surprise is getting to know your personal exemptions. These exemptions allow you to bring goods of a certain value back home to Canada without paying regular duty and taxes.Take note of these exemptions from the Canada Border Services Agency to save time and money at the Canadian border. After 24 hours – CAN$50, no alcoholic beverages or tobacco products (if more than $50, full duty and taxes are applicable);
After 48 hours – CAN$400;
After seven days – CAN$750.
You can bring one of the following amounts of alcoholic beverages free of duty and taxes as long as you are within the minimum ages, as prescribed by provincial or territorial authorities (18 years for the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, and 19 years for the remaining provinces and territories): 1.5 litres of wine;a total of 1.14 litres of alcoholic beverages; orup to a maximum of 8.5 litres of beer or ale. If you’re 18 or over, you can bring all of these types of tobacco products free of duty and taxes within your personal exemption:
200 cigarettes;
50 cigars;
200 grams of manufactured tobacco; and 200 tobacco sticks.
Remember, there are no exemptions for same-day travel. Anything you buy is subject to applicable PST, GST and duty. Also, you must declare everything you buy, regardless if any of the exemptions apply.
There are more tips for travellers at www.cbsa.gc.ca/traveltips.
www.newscanada.com  ”
 *TM/© 2011 Practitioners’ Press Inc. – All Rights Reserved

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