Thanksgiving

I think Thanksgiving is the biggest holiday in the U.S. - for the economy at any rate, especially the food and the retail industries.

It’s amazing how much food gets made (and eaten) over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Some sources claim that there are 280 million turkeys sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations alone (source: HungryMonster.com). That would mean that every American, including newborn babies, eats one whole turkey. That alone would explain the holiday season weight gain. But according to a US Census press release from October 5, 2004 this number is more likely the amount of turkeys raised in the U.S. in 2004. Anyways, I have no doubt that a majority of them will end up as the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving feast. And the myth that turkeys are so stupid that they drown when they look up while standing in the rain, does not really make me feel better about eating them.

But besides all the food that is sold in the days before Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving is the most important shopping day. It is an indicator on how the holiday season will turn out for the retail industry. The most amazing thing is that the stores open at 5:30 AM. How can someone voluntarily get up at 4:30 AM on a day off only to be there when the doors open. I guess, many people can't sleep anyways because of the amount of food they had. One of the many tips on how to compensate for the amount of food was to park on parking lot as far away from the store as possible on the next day to get the extra workout of walking. I guess it’s very unlikely to get a front row parking spot unless you indeed get to the store before sunrise anyways.

Happy Holiday!