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    • Why is Thanksgiving so late this year? You can blame politics.
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    Why is Thanksgiving so late this year? You can blame politics.

    Vaseline Posted on

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    If it feels like Thanksgiving is late this year, that’s because it is.

    Maybe that means postponing gift shopping because Black Friday is later too.

    Or maybe you’ll wait a little longer to put up your decorations for the next holiday, if you stick to the norm of waiting until after the turkey and pumpkin pies are eaten.

    In 2024, Thanksgiving falls on November 28, the latest possible date for the holiday to fall. And it turns out there is a political explanation:

    Why is Thanksgiving so late this year?

    You can thank Congress for that.

    On Oct. 6, 1941, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution declaring Thanksgiving Day the last Thursday in November, according to the Center for Legislative Archives. But the Senate amended the resolution to place the holiday on the fourth Thursday of the month to account for years when November has five Thursdays.

    The House of Representatives approved that change, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed off, and the rest was history.

    But that wasn’t always the case. Presidents issued Thanksgiving proclamations, but that didn’t put the holiday on a consistent day or even a consistent month. Thanksgiving was not regularly celebrated on the last Thursday in November until President Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation in 1863.

    In 1939, Thanksgiving fell on the last day of November, and Roosevelt was concerned that a shortened holiday season would hurt the nation’s economic recovery. He moved Thanksgiving to the penultimate Thursday in November, but some states rejected the change and celebrated it a week later for two years.

    The confusion ended when Congress acted and chose the last Thursday in November.

    More: For indigenous peoples, Thanksgiving has a complex meaning. Oneida chef shares his thoughts.

    What does a later Thanksgiving mean for the holiday shopping season?

    Since Thanksgiving is later, so is Black Friday. But a lot has changed since 1939, including many consumers preferring to shop online for several days rather than heading to the mall at the crack of dawn.

    Many major retailers are offering early deals to shoppers days or weeks before November 29. For example, Target has had deals every Sunday since November 3.

    Black Friday has remained popular even during times of economic turmoil, with sales still reaching billions of dollars during the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

    More: Which malls are open in Milwaukee on Thanksgiving and Black Friday? Here’s a list

    More: Which stores are open and closed for Thanksgiving and Black Friday in Wisconsin?

    More: These are the Milwaukee area grocery stores open on Thanksgiving

    What are the weather forecasts for Thanksgiving in Wisconsin?

    Although Thanksgiving is late this year, it also feels like winter weather took a while to arrive in Wisconsin.

    Temperatures will drop significantly over the weekend, with highs around 33 degrees on Thanksgiving and 24 degrees on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

    While previous forecasts showed a chance of very small amounts of snow for Thanksgiving travelers this week, the National Weather Service now says conditions will remain dry in most parts of Wisconsin.

    More: A record number of people will travel for Thanksgiving 2024. What to expect in Wisconsin

    Vaseline
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