After 26 years of living in the U.S., I proudly consider it my home. But at my core, I’m still quite British, which means Thanksgiving feels a bit like being invited to a stranger’s birthday party: lovely, but not entirely my gig. For me, it’s often a day off work or a dinner with other holiday orphans. That said, if someone’s dishing out turkey and stuffing, you’d better believe I’m first in line.

In anticipation of the upcoming Thanksgiving feast (or food coma), I took a delightful dive into Google to unearth some fun facts about this festive day. Here’s what I dug up—and yes, I’ve added a little stuffing of humor for flavor:

 

 

 

 

 

  • Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863: Honest Abe Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday to help unite the country during the Civil War. It’s heartwarming to think that stuffing and mashed potatoes might’ve helped stitch the nation back together. Who knew carbs could be so healing?
  • The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1924: Originally meant to celebrate the expansion of the Herald Square superstore, it quickly became a tradition where giant balloon characters float by as we wonder, “How do they keep Snoopy from blowing into New Jersey?”
  • The first TV dinners were inspired by Thanksgiving leftovers: In 1953, Swanson misjudged America’s turkey appetite and ended up with 260 tons of leftovers. Their genius solution? Aluminum trays filled with turkey and sides, sold for 98 cents. Proof that one person’s problem is another’s frozen meal prep.
  • Turkeys are a Thanksgiving tradition because they were economical: Turkeys were big, cheap, and didn’t give milk or eggs. In other words, they were basically freeloaders, so onto the table they went!
  • Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state: Minnesota raises a gob-smacking 40 million turkeys. That’s roughly one turkey for every time you’ll hear someone say, “This turkey is so moist!”
  • The White House tradition of pardoning a turkey started in 1989: George H.W. Bush decided to pardon a turkey, sparing it from the dinner table. If only the side dishes could plead their case too.
  • Canada celebrates Thanksgiving in October: Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving earlier because their harvest season wraps up sooner—probably because winter is eager to swoop in and say, “Eh, you’re done.”
  • “Jingle Bells” was originally written for Thanksgiving: Yes, the festive carol was penned for Thanksgiving before it jingled its way into Christmas. So technically, Thanksgiving has dibs on the first holiday catchy song, which is now stuck in my head!.
  • Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the official U.S. bird: Franklin thought the bald eagle was morally questionable (what tea did he spill?) and suggested the turkey instead. Imagine turkeys gracing the currency—it’s hard to look noble while gobbling.

And one for my fellow Brits! Thanksgiving isn’t a traditional holiday in Britain, but some families are giving it a go. Meanwhile, we Brits have our own Harvest Festival in September, which involves churches showing off baskets of homegrown food. A bit less pumpkin pie, a bit more, “Here’s a carrot I grew.”