Thanksgiving dinner costs are on dropping for second year in a row
For the second year in a row, the cost of buying Thanksgiving dinner has decreased, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Now that Halloween has passed, some people are ready to fast forward to December, put up Christmas lights, and embrace the winter holidays and festive spirit — just ask Mariah Carey.
But Thanksgiving is just ahead, providing what often becomes a four-day holiday weekend for many.
Through the years, the holiday has become synonymous with football games, good food and, of course, the famous Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Here’s when Thanksgiving falls this year.
When is Thanksgiving in 2025?
Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025.
What day is Thanksgiving?
The holiday falls on the fourth Thursday in November every year.
Is Thanksgiving a federal holiday?
Yes, Thanksgiving is both a state and federal holiday, meaning banks and government offices will be closed in Michigan. There won’t be mail deliver, either. Many stores close for the holiday, although grocery stores and others open.
Although the day after Thanksgiving isn’t an official state or federal holiday, many people do take the day off, making it a four-day weekend.
When did Thanksgiving become a national holiday?
President Abraham Lincoln declared a national Thanksgiving holiday in 1863, according to the National Archives. It was a gesture, say historians, meant to reconcile a deeply divided country in the midst of the Civil War.
Lincoln wasn’t the first president to issue a Thanksgiving proclamation — George Washington did so in 1789. While later presidents failed to maintain the tradition, it was Washington’s original proclamation that guided Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation.
The final Thursday of November was Thanksgiving until 1939 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt solidified it as the fourth Thursday, hoping to increase retail sales during the Great Depression.
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
The “first celebration” is said to have taken place in 1621, the History Channel said. The story, historically told from the white pilgrim’s perspective, is that colonists shared a meal with the indigenous Wampanoag people to give thanks for a successful fall harvest.
This lore, however, is not completely accurate. Most accounts of the event’s significance are often overstated, USA TODAY journalist Eryn Dion noted in her reporting.
Members of the Wampanoag were not formally invited as a gesture of good grace. Instead, the pilgrims became rowdy at their feast and began shooting into the air. Fearing violence, Wampanoag warriors came to identify the commotion — prepared for war if need be — but saw it was a celebration and eventually joined in.
