Atwood

Pass the turkey and the puck please

MANDY ATWOOD thankful canuck

Every year as October approaches, Canadians have two things on their minds: hockey and Thanksgiving. Being Canadian myself, it was a huge disappointment to learn that American Thanksgiving is not until late November, nor do you have the Saturday night program called “Hockey Night in Canada.” Let’s leave hockey to the sports section, and talk about the real Thanksgiving.

There are a few things we do differently in the friendly land to the north. First of all, we have Thanksgiving on a sensible day. I always thought that with Christmas approaching, late November would be hectic enough. We also don’t have a big sale the day after our Thanksgiving. We have a day like that called Boxing Day, but it takes place Dec. 26.

Thanksgiving is celebrated the second Monday in October, after the harvest. This year, it was Oct. 10. Unlike Americans who honor the pilgrims, we Canadians celebrate the good harvest.

Back when people first started coming over to Canada they had some hard winters, which hasn’t changed much. Because of the minus 50 C temperatures, and the wind chill making it seem like minus 1000 C (give or take a few degrees), settlers were starving to death. So when harvest time came they celebrated with a feast to show thanks for their bountiful blessings.

We have the usual Thanksgiving foods like whale blubber, pemmican, poutine, perogies, moose, goose, beaver, and as always, the turkey in the centre of the table. You would cook your turkey inside, but where I come from, we cook the turkey outside so the igloo won’t melt. Just kidding. Contrary to popular belief Canadians really do have houses.

As many of you have probably heard, Canadians know how to have fun. We invite family and friends over, who drive from kilometers away, and just make the day as chaotic and fun as possible.

There are traditional television programs to watch, like the Thanksgiving Classic CFL game. My family will all bunch themselves together on the chesterfield, otherwise known by you as a couch, and watch the game. Another thing we Canadians like is hockey. Just a little though … we only watch it all day.

Thanksgiving Day would not be the same without playing street hockey. We all put on our toques, or, as you prefer, beanies, and mitts and play for hours. It’s true that on any given day you could drive down a Canadian neighborhood and have to maneuver around a game. But street hockey on Thanksgiving is just different. There’s nothing like playing an intense game of hockey after a seven-course meal.

Thanksgiving Day is one of the best days in Canada. It’s October, it’s cold and it’s full of food and family. It’s a great day to remember the things in life that truly matter. Pop the turkey in the oven, the net in the street, but not the turkey in the net.

Sounds like fun, eh?