Thanksgiving is one of the few national holidays that moves from one date to another depending on the year. So
when is Thanksgiving 2011? The Federal holiday takes place on the fourth Thursday in November, which will be November 24, 2011. Thanksgiving Day is also the start of the winter holiday season, which includes Christmas and New Year's Eve. Need some help planning your holiday? Check out the following
Thanksgiving 2011 holiday guide.
Thanksgiving Day Parades
Americans love to celebrate holidays with parades, and Thanksgiving is no exception. If you're looking for a crowd and free entertainment, consider attending one of these parades:
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The Annual Macy's Day Parade: 2011 marks the 85th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade for Macy's. This Thanksgiving Day parade is the most popular one hosted in the U.S., and it draws over 3 million people to the streets for the event. Another 50 million people watch the star-studded show via NBC's coverage.
- Chicago's MacDonald Thanksgiving Day Parade: New York often gets all the attention for holidays like the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving, but other cities have been holding their own for years. Chicago's Thanksgiving parade, now in its 78th year, offers massive balloon floats and top-rated marching bands, but it has fewer people than Macy's event. As the name implies, the parade also features Ronald MacDonald, as well as Santa Claus.
- H.E.B.'s Annual Turkey Day Parade: H.E.B., a grocery chain in Texas, has been hosting an annual parade since 1949. The Houston-based event attracts over 400,000 people locally, and a CBS affiliate broadcasts the parade to Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.
- America's Thanksgiving Day Parade: This event takes place in Detroit, Michigan, and it will celebrate its 85th year in 2011. The theme is "So Much to Believe In," which the Parade Company hopes will inspire the state of Michigan to look ahead to better times.
Annual Turkey Trots
Even though holidays like
Memorial Day encourage picnics, few holidays inspire people to over-eat like Thanksgiving. Most
Thanksgiving dinners can easily exceed 3,000 calories, according to
Active.com, and that's before you add in the leftovers! If you want to enjoy your holiday guilt-free, consider participating in a
turkey trot. Most of these foot races sponsor a worthy cause.
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Alexandria Turkey Trot: Alexandria, Virginia has been sponsoring the D.C. region's premier turkey trot for 36 years. The race benefits local charities, such as ALIVE, and usually attracts over 4,000 participants. This year, the race will include a stroller run, as well as a dog run.
- The Capital One Bank Dallas Turkey Trot: The weather in Dallas, Texas is usually perfect for an outdoor Thanksgiving Day race, which has helped to make this event one of the largest events of its kind. Capital One will host the 44th year for the run, and participants have a lofty goal of raising $50,000 to benefit local YMCAs.
- The Dana Point Turkey Trot: This Thanksgiving Day event trades miles for meals and benefits the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. Dana Point brings in over 10,000 participants, and the event has special options for junior runners.
Thanksgiving Day Recipes
Americans have more than a few Thanksgiving Day recipes that have become traditions in
kitchens across the country. Turkey, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie often make the
holiday menu. If you want to try something new, consider one of the following Thanksgiving recipes:
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Marshmallow Rolls: Dip a large marshmallow in melted butter, coat it in cinnamon and sugar, and then wrap it inside a crescent roll. Bake the rolls as usual.
- Turducken: Why settle for plain old turkey when you could have turducken? To make this dish, you place a deboned chicken inside a deboned duck that will go inside a turkey. For more flavor, replace cornbread stuffing with sausage stuffing. Lynn Salmon offers instructions for cooking this delightful holiday dish.
- Shoepeg Pie: Give the green bean casserole a break with this tasty Southern dish. To make the pie, you need to combine cream cheese, butter, milk, shoepeg corn, chopped green chiles, cheddar cheese, and saltine crackers. Start by melting 8 ounces of cream cheese with ¼ cup butter and ½ cup milk. Add 44 ounces of shoepeg corn and 14 ounces of chopped green chilies to the sauce and pour it into a baking dish. Cover this with 4 ounces of shredded cheese and 10 to 12 crushed crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Thanksgiving Family Traditions
Aside from enjoying a meal, Thanksgiving is a great time for family traditions. Some families enjoy playing a game of football, playing board games, or sharing photos. You can have family members write down the thinks they want to celebrate or host a movie fest. Some classic films you can watch include
Holiday Inn and
Miracle on 34th Street.
Thanksgiving Crafts
The holidays are also the perfect time to enjoy a family activity. You can make turkey placemats, like the ones from
Christy Jones. If you want to decorate for the feast, consider making a cornucopia. You can buy the horn at a local craft store. To fill the cornucopia, save some of your miniature pumpkins from
Halloween and mix them with miniature squash or other harvest vegetables. You can also add in autumn leaves from the yard, depending on where you live.
Enjoy the Holiday
No matter what you decide to do, take a moment to be thankful for the positive things in your life. Thanksgiving may be the right time to patch up broken relationships or start new ones. For more on
national holidays, visit our DIY blog.
