If you’ve never read The Oatmeal, start now.
Today, it has a hilarious portray of Thanksgiving as a kid v. Thanksgiving as an adult. Every American who has celebrate Thanksgiving since they could walk totally understands the distinction. The Table sticks out for me as moving from the “kids” table to the “adult” table was always a big step, and a source of contention as we all started arguing about what age, or other factors, made one an “adult.” And The Binge! Seriously. Just as I used to be able to eat an entire Chicago deep dish pizza, I used to be able to pack away the turkey like nobody’s business. Not to mention pumpkin pie. And there is nothing quite like pumpkin pie buried beneath CoolWhip and drowning in honey.
As US Thanksgiving approaches (W00T!), and I laugh hysterically at The Oatmeal (which has really made my crappy Monday ridiculously better), it occurs to me that Thanksgiving is a unique celebration in the States. There are set rules, as The Oatmeal points out (and mocks, naturally), and though we gather to give thanks and share a meal with family and close friends, we also tend to gorge ourselves so we can sit, mostly comatose, and watch football.
Such was not my experience with Canadian Thanksgiving. There weren’t rules, per say, and it didn’t strike me as being much different than being invited to dinner a friend’s house. Canadian Thanksgiving isn’t quite the event it is in the States, and that isn’t necessarily good or bad.
It does, however, present less entertainment fodder for The Oatmeal. US Thanksgiving pretty much corners the market on that!