Thanksgiving here in the U.S. is celebrated the fourth Thursday in November. It used to be the last Thursday, but was moved, by presidential proclamation, to make sure there was enough time for holiday shopping before Christmas.
Now Thanksgiving is a whole weekend, and even into the next week, for that holiday shopping purpose:
- Black Friday – its current meaning started in the 1980s; it meant something totally different in 1869
- Small Business Saturday – started in 2010
- Museum Store Sunday – started in 2017 (near and dear to Alan’s and 1000Museums‘ heart)
- Cyber Monday – started in 2005
- Giving Tuesday – started in 2012
It’s no coincidence that most of these days came into existence just as internet shopping was starting to take off.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend!