Holidays!

So Thanksgiving is coming up quite soon around here (think Columbus day people that are confused). Yesterday I received an email from the international office telling me they would be hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner that I could opt into. This spurred me into action because I didn't want to opt into something when I didn't know all the facts about the holiday. So while I was out last night I grilled my friends on Thanksgiving and the age old question: When is the earliest socially acceptable time to start decorating for Christmas?

Thanksgiving, though officially the 10th this year is actually not strict to the day like American Thanksgiving. Instead, families celebrate it at any point that weekend when they can get everyone together. (this I think explains why they only get one day off while we get two usually and many people try to stretch it to more). They don't have Black Friday (their closest equivalent is Boxing Day after xmas). They also don't eat turkey - they eat goose (canadian goose!) which I found interesting because it (oddly) never occurred to me that someone would want to eat a canadian goose. I was super worried that everyone would leave for Thanksgiving and I would be lonely and miss everyone in the States more - but two of my friends here offered to join me for Thanksgiving - and we may even go to one of their houses about 2.5 hours away to celebrate with their family. Yay!

And, because Thanksgiving isn't in November, I can start decorating for xmas after Halloween!!!!!