Give thanks for the long weekend
136 YEARS
Since Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday
Though the harvest has been celebrated in Canada for several hundred years, it wasn’t officially declared a holiday until 1879.
Initially, it took place in November and, after the First World War, it was celebrated on the Monday closest to Nov. 11 to coincide with Armistice Day (later renamed Remembrance Day).
In 1931, Thanksgiving was moved to October but the exact date wasn’t officially set until 1957, when Parliament voted to declare the second Monday in October “a day of general Thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.”
Though it has been declared one federally, Thanksgiving is not a statutory holiday in P.E.I., Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick or Nova Scotia — so be thankful you don’t live there.
55 EXTRA SAILINGS
Added to B.C. Ferries schedule
Many British Columbians have spent the past 48 hours travelling home for the holiday — and they’ll all be headed back over the next few days.
For B.C. Ferries, it’s the busiest weekend of the year for foot passengers, likely because it’s the first chance for post-secondary students to head home for a visit.
In anticipation, 55 sailings have been added to its schedule through Oct. 13.
ICBC, meanwhile, is warning drivers to be cautious as they hit the road to attend family dinners. About 1,800 crashes occur in B.C. over the Thanksgiving weekend each year, resulting in an average of three deaths and 520 injuries.
ICBC advises drivers to plan their routes ahead of time, slow down and put on winter tires if you’re hitting certain highways, such as the Coquihalla.
3.1m TURKEYS
Purchased by Canadians for Thanksgiving
If the day is all about the harvest, then British Columbians can be particularly grateful as they can cook pretty much an entire meal — meat, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beets, squash, parsnips and even pumpkin pie — using locally produced foods.
The centre of the meal, of course, is the turkey and, according to the Turkey Farmers of Canada, Canadians bought 3.1 million whole turkeys for Thanksgiving.
While it’s easy to buy one (there are 65 growers in the B.C. Turkey Farmers Association), knowing the size of bird to get — and then thawing and cooking it — can be a challenge. Tastyturkey.ca has handy calculators for all three, but the rule of thumb is: Buy a pound for every adult (a little more if you want leftovers); if frozen, thaw five hours for each of those pounds.
8 GAMES
To watch on television
No Thanksgiving Day would be complete without some sports on the menu. There will be as many as eight games on TV, giving viewers the chance to hurl insults at George W. Bush, Michael Vick and Ryan Kesler all in the same day.
If the Jays manage to stave off elimination today, then their series against the Rangers will continue in Texas, where the aforementioned ex-U.S. president (and exteam owner) is often sitting in the stands.
On the gridiron, Vick and the Steelers will take on the Chargers down south, while the Argos will play the Alouettes in the CFL (both on TSN). Meanwhile, the Canucks will be trying to beat Kesler and the Ducks (Sportsnet One).
If sports aren’t your thing, you can binge-watch a variety of TV series and movies as networks fill their schedules with marathon programming. Among them: Hockey Wives (W Network), Tiny House, Big Living (HGTV), Say Yes To The Dress (TLC), Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy (Space), Indiana Jones trilogy (Showcase) and back-to-back Nanny McPhee movies (YTV).
45,000 STEPS
To burn off your holiday meal
Depending on the side dishes you add to your plate of turkey, a traditional Thanksgiving dinner can add up to around 3,000 calories, according to the Calorie Control Council.
Throw in some snacks (warning: a halfcup of mixed nuts is 440 calories), beverages (a glass of wine is 120 calories, a mixed drink is double) and dessert (a slice of pumpkin pie is half the calories of apple pie, but adding ice cream will make up the difference), and you can tack on another 1,000 to 1,500 calories.
You would have to walk more than 36 kilometres — or take 45,000 steps — to burn that off, according to About.com’s Thanksgiving Calorie Calculator. That’ll light up your Fit Bit. Of course, you can do some of that walking at the local mall.
Remember, Christmas (and the next big turkey dinner) is now only 75 sleeps away.