We've Got Black Friday...Should the UK Celebrate Thanksgiving Too?

There are lots of similarities between the UK and the US. We share a common language, similar tastes in music (we gave them The Beatles, they gave us…Taylor Swift…thanks guys!), similar cravings for calorific foods and a love of cinema. Much of this we’ve adopted from our ‘cousins from across the pond’. Think rock n’ roll, hamburgers and Star Wars.

But the one thing we don’t share is Thanksgiving. In the United States of America, the last Thursday in November is given over to a day off work (for most) where families get together to eat, drink and be merry (and then shop!).

So, is it time to adopt another American custom? We think so! Here’s why we should start celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK.

Who needs an excuse to eat more than your own body weight in turkey?

The modern holiday is based on the harvest feasts held by The Pilgrims who settled in the so-called ‘New World’ in 1621. So while the pilgrims may not have eaten turkey crowns or pumpkin pie, the tradition of enjoying an abundance of food lives on to this day.

When have we Brits ever needed an excuse to over-indulge?

We need something to keep us going after Halloween

The grey squirrel aside, Halloween is perhaps the most well-known of American imports and the one which has had the biggest effect on British culture and our calendar.

We’re all well used to trick or treat now, so why not take on another holiday? After all, we need something to look forward to in November…it’s a long wait from Bonfire Night to Christmas!

It’s like a practice run for Christmas

With an estimated 2 billion people celebrating the festival around the world, Christmas is one of the biggest days in our calendar. In fact, a 2016 poll showed that 91% of Brits celebrate the birth of Christ.

With 25th December being such an important date in the diary, think of Thanksgiving as a practice run! Making dinner for large numbers can be stressful, so a pressure-free turkey dinner in November will give us the confidence to nail it on Christmas Day!

B&M Top Tip: if you’re hosting this year, don’t forget you can bag all your Christmas dinner essentials at B&M! From Turkey crowns and gammon to mince pies!

The Canadians have one – why shouldn’t we?

That’s right. The Great White North celebrate their Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October each year. If Canada can have one, why can’t we?

Turkey: check! Football: check! Parades…

Both the US and Canada have very similar Thanksgiving traditions, with turkey taking centre stage at the dinner table, while football provides the post meal entertainment. We like turkey, and we love football. Not sure how keen we are on parades, but let’s be open-minded!

Black Friday is already here… let’s make a long weekend of it

We’ve already adopted Black Friday, so it’s not such a big leap to take on Thanksgiving is it? Black Friday is a day of big bargains, where retailers slash prices for customers looking for a great deal. If we’re going to adopt the shopping, why not the day of over-indulgence too?

And if you’re on the hunt for an amazing deal, check out B&M’s Black Friday offers! We’ve cut the prices of lots of great electricals and toys!

It’s basically our history anyway…kind of

America was settled by British and other Europeans escaping religious persecution. So the story of the Pilgrim Fathers is a branch of our own history…why shouldn’t we remember too?

Of course, we’re being a little silly here at B&M HQ. There’s little chance of us officially adopting the holiday. But Americans have made their way into some families here in the UK as well as our culture, so we wanted to pay homage to the Yanks in our ranks! Happy Thanksgiving!

So, should the UK adopt Thanksgiving? If it goes well we could take their President too! Maybe not…tell us what you think on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!