American Thanksgiving
In the United States, Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. Presidents had proclaimed days of thanksgiving since the early republic, and Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving for the last Thursday of November in 1863. Congress later fixed the holiday on the fourth Thursday of November in 1941.
How the date is worked out
Count the Thursdays in November and take the fourth. That puts it between November 22 and November 28. In years when November has five Thursdays, the fourth is not the last one, so US Thanksgiving is not always “the last Thursday of November” — the countdown uses the fourth-Thursday rule, so it never lands a week late.
Why a Canadian site counts it
American Thanksgiving is not a holiday in Canada, so offices and schools are open, and Canada’s own Thanksgiving is in October. Many Canadians still watch the date: Black Friday sales follow the next day, cross-border family visits are planned around it, and the long weekend of football on television has traditionally included NFL games on Thanksgiving Day.
Football, parades and travel
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York has been a Thanksgiving tradition since 1924, and it is broadcast across the country. The weekend is commonly described as one of the busiest travel periods of the year in the United States, so Canadians crossing the border for family visits often plan their route and timing carefully. A countdown to the Thursday helps with both. If you are driving south, check the forecast and the border wait times for your route before you set out, and leave plenty of extra time.
Counting on to the next dates
The countdown timer tracks cooking and the clock keeps the meal on schedule, and you can embed the countdown on a family page. Black Friday is always the next day, Christmas comes about a month later, and Canadian Thanksgiving is the earlier holiday in October.
More countdowns
Need a different date? Use the countdown to any date or count up with time since a date.
Questions
What date is US Thanksgiving this year?
American Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November, so it is always between November 22 and November 28. The countdown above always shows the next one, so it is right for the current year without any lookup.
Is Thanksgiving the last Thursday of November?
Not always. It is the fourth Thursday, which is the last one in some years and a week earlier in others, when November has five Thursdays. Congress fixed the fourth-Thursday rule in 1941.
Is US Thanksgiving a holiday in Canada?
No. It is an American holiday, and Canadian offices and schools are open as usual. Canada has its own Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, which has a separate countdown of its own on this site.
How long until Black Friday?
Black Friday is always the day after US Thanksgiving, so it is one day later than the date this countdown ends on. There is a separate Black Friday countdown that counts to that Friday directly.