Canada’s Thanksgiving Takes on Columbus Day

Happy Thanksgiving! For those of us living just a short jog from the Canadian border, we can almost smell the roast turkey and pumpkin pie wafting gingerly through the frosty Northern Maine air. What a delicious piece of Canadian ingenuity: celebrating Thanksgiving on the 2^nd Monday of October. This is one of those times I think the U.S. should take its cue from Canada.

It’s nice to be thankful for a bountiful harvest somewhere around the time there’s an actual “harvest.” Think about it. We’ve recently raided the last veggie-booty from our gardens.  The potatoes are (almost) all in from the fields. And we don’t have a real holiday in early October anyway.   What’s that? Oh, yes, today is “Columbus Day.” 

Now, I’m sure the Knights of Columbus meant well when they pushed for the observance in the U.S.  But I’d be more likely to “go Hawaiian” today and celebrate “Discoverers’ Day” as they do in the islands.  Or “Native American Day” as they prefer in South Dakota.  There’s also a push to rename Columbus Day  “Explorers’ Day” to honor all peoples exploring new horizons and not just one man.  I’d go along with that.  In the meantime, pass the turkey, cranberry relish and butternut squash. I’m joining  my Canadian friends to enjoy this “Bonus Thanksgiving Day.”