My US friends talk about
a) waiting in line for stores to open on Saturday morning to get amazing shopping deals
b) having people over to watch football
c) decorating for Christmas

We talk about
a) raking leaves
b) going on hikes
c) having friends & family over for dinner

I prefer ours... but, am going to induldge by going cross border shopping for theirs this year.

I prefer Canadian Thanksgiving.

If for no other reason, than the practical one of having a long weekend in October.

Americans celebrate on Thursday in November, and I bet not everyone gets the Friday off. At least in Canada, pretty much everyone gets a three-day weekend.

And who wants a holiday so close to Christmas? I like my holidays spread out. it's nice to have something between Labour Day and Christmas.

actually, the person I was speaking today, gets 3 days of work, so a 5-day weekend.

I believe ours came first so the question should have been "Can U.S. Thanksgiving compare to the Canadian version?"

Their Thanksgiving centres around football, when it's cold outside and the Christmas rush has begun. Ours is about leaves falling and the harvest coming in, and we celebrate with family just as a chill begins to fill the air.

I'd take ours over the American's any day.

Great question.

Their's is about them. The Pilgrims, thr Mayflower, the AMERICANS>

Ours I think is about family and friends

I agree with the majority here. Thanksgiving should be exactly that.... giving thanks for what we have around us, not necessarily for what we can buy! How about focussing on family, friends, what we can do to help our neighbours.
And turkey? Well, maybe it's a bit over-rated. Someone at church yesterday was looking forward to the ham she was going to cook. Something else to be thankful for... our individuality.

The real question, in my mind is:
Why do we feel the need to compare ourselves to the U.S. at all?

I have been assured by my American friends, and one Canadian one who has spent Thanksgiving in America, that the American one beats all comers.

i am amazed that in the modern times of knowing what was done to the indians in canada and usa that people actually celebrate thanksgiving. the indians have little to celebrate.

Although they are very similar today, American and Canadian thanksgiving celebrations were originally for different reasons and they really can't be compared in that way. American thanksgiving started out as a celebration of the coming together "white Americans" and the native people of North America. Canada's celebration is for a supposed to be about being thankful for a good harvest, but it is really just an excuse to eat turkey.