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When making plans for fall’s biggest feast, you might search for Thanksgiving menu ideas or, if no one wants to cook, restaurants open on Thanksgiving. But first, you have to answer the question around which all your plans will revolve: When is Thanksgiving?
Since the numerical date changes, it pretty much always requires a glance at your calendar. And as it turns out, there’s some interesting Thanksgiving trivia regarding how we came to determine the date so that our celebration falls not too early and not too late—the Goldilocks of Thanksgiving dates if you will. Read on for the fascinating history that involves not one but two iconic American presidents. But first, to answer the big question…
When is Thanksgiving 2023?
This year, we celebrate Thanksgiving on November 23, 2023—the date changes year to year but it always falls on the fourth Thursday of the month. That's been the rule since President Franklin Roosevelt signed a bill making it official in 1941, more than two years after he first decided to shake up the American tradition a bit in the name of holiday shopping and boosting the economy—and ruffling some feathers in the process.
Why does Thanksgiving fall on the fourth Thursday of November?
It hasn't always.
While the story of the first Thanksgiving was recorded in 1621, the holiday did not become an annual American tradition until the time of President Abraham Lincoln. In 1863, in hopes of bringing Americans together at the height of the Civil War, he declared Thanksgiving a national holiday celebrated on the last Thursday of November. For magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale, the "mother of Thanksgiving," this marked the culmination of decades of advocacy for the holiday.
In 1939, however, November started on a Wednesday, meaning there were five Thursdays as opposed to four and Thanksgiving would fall (gasp!) on the 30th. Of course, this had happened before, but this time, President Franklin Roosevelt decided it was too late. That August, he announced that the national holiday would move to the second-to-last Thursday of the month.
This caused a stir, especially among American football coaches who had been counting on holiday crowds on November 30, according to Time. (We doubt modern-day coaches would be any more amused by a president switching up their calendar last-minute.) Adding to the chaos, some states adopted the new Thanksgiving Day, while others did not (as if coordinating plans with out-of-state relatives weren't hard enough!). Those unhappy with the change took to derisively referring to the holiday as "Franksgiving," according to History.com.
Instead of focusing on the negative, Roosevelt attempted to justify his decision with a pro-shopping response: More time between Thanksgiving and Christmas meant more shopping time leading up to the jolly holiday. Turns out, he had a point but was ahead of his time—the consumer craze known as Black Friday wouldn't take off till the 1950s.
The following year (1940), the change stuck and the second-to-last Thursday (Nov. 21) was declared the official Thanksgiving Day. In 1941, Roosevelt reportedly admitted that the switch was a mistake, but because the calendars were already printed, it was too late to go back. Since November happened to only have four Thursdays in 1940 and 1941, this meant that the national Thanksgiving holiday fell on the third Thursday of the month in those years. (Crazy, we know!)
As 1941 ended, Roosevelt signed a bill officially making Thanksgiving Day the fourth Thursday of November, regardless if it is the last or the second-to-last Thursday of the month.
One thing is for sure this Thanksgiving: what day it will fall on. So get ready for the delight of Grandma's famous Thanksgiving dessert, this time with an extra bit of trivia to share as you indulge in a piece (or two or three). Here's to enjoying mashed potatoes, stuffing, and all your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes with a little more Thanksgiving knowledge!
Mark your calendars for Thanksgiving 2024, 2025, and 2026
- Thanksgiving 2024 will be a late one—November 28.
- In 2025, Thanksgiving falls on November 27.
- In 2026, we'll celebrate Thanksgiving on November 26.
Terri Robertson is the Senior Editor, Digital, at Country Living, where she shares her lifelong love of homes, gardens, down-home cooking, and antiques.
