As you probably know, the Thanksgiving celebrated this week is only a U.S. holiday (Canada has a similar holiday, celebrated in October.) Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November, so the date changes year to year. Most office workers get Friday off work, as well, so the holiday weekend is four days. (Of course, many service and retail workers don't get the extra days off; in fact, in recent years, retail stores have started being open on Thanksgiving itself, which has created a controversy, since the employees don't get even the holiday off work.) This is a family holiday with no religious significance. Often, families will travel from far away to be together this weekend. The main celebration is a large meal, generally based around turkey, eaten on Thursday. Many people consider this weekend as the start of Christmas shopping and enjoy going to stores, which often have reduced prices.