Thanksgiving will occur on November 27 this year, marking it as the second-latest date possible for the holiday. The latest Thanksgiving can fall is November 28, which will happen in 2024. For context, the earliest Thanksgiving can be celebrated is November 22, a date last observed in 2018 and not set to occur again until 2029.
Understanding the fluctuating dates of Thanksgiving can be perplexing. The holiday, akin to Memorial Day and Labor Day, does not actually shift; instead, the calendar dates change. According to the Center for Legislative Archives, the United States has observed Thanksgiving since 1789, when President George Washington issued the first proclamation for a “Day of Publick Thanksgiving,” which fell on November 26.
Following Washington, U.S. presidents continued to issue Thanksgiving proclamations, leading to a variety of dates. Notably, the Library of Congress records that President James Madison proclaimed Thanksgiving on two occasions: September 9 in 1813 and March 16 in 1815.
A significant change occurred in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the last Thursday of November. There was a notable exception in 1865, when President Andrew Johnson reportedly forgot to issue a proclamation in time and instead scheduled Thanksgiving for the first Thursday of December.
The tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November continued until 1939. That year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt expressed concern that Thanksgiving falling on November 30 would shorten the Christmas shopping season, particularly as the nation was still recovering from the Great Depression. He issued a proclamation moving the holiday to the second-to-last Thursday of November.
Despite Roosevelt’s intentions, this change was met with mixed responses. According to historical records, while 32 states adopted the new date, 16 states chose to maintain Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November. This inconsistency persisted until 1941, when Congress officially established Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November.
Looking ahead, Thanksgiving will take place on November 26 next year, a slightly earlier date that continues the longstanding tradition rooted in American history. As families prepare for this holiday, the variations in its scheduling highlight the changing nature of time and tradition in the United States.
