Seasonal · countdown to Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Clock
Autumn leaves over a harvest field in warm golds and browns, with a live countdown to US Thanksgiving and the current time.
Until Thanksgiving
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A moving date
Why Thanksgiving Is Never on the Same Day
The Fourth Thursday of November
Unlike Christmas, Thanksgiving has no fixed date. It falls on the fourth Thursday of November, which puts it anywhere between the 22nd and the 28th. This countdown works that out for the current year rather than assuming a date.
Roosevelt Moved It, Briefly
In 1939 Franklin Roosevelt shifted the holiday a week earlier to lengthen the Christmas shopping season. The change was unpopular enough that some states simply ignored it, and Congress settled the matter in 1941 by fixing the fourth Thursday in law.
Canada Is in October
Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October, timed to a harvest that comes earlier at higher latitudes. If that is the one you want, set the date on the custom countdown page.
The Busiest Travel Week
The days around it are consistently among the heaviest travel periods of the American year, which is why a countdown to it is genuinely useful rather than decorative — it is a planning deadline for a lot of people.
Under the hood
How This Scene Is Built
Leaves fall in six autumn shades over a harvest field with swaying sheaves, under a warm haze. The date is calculated each time the page loads by finding the first Thursday in November and adding three weeks.
For Canadian Thanksgiving, or for the travel date rather than the holiday itself, the countdown page takes any date and time and produces a link you can share with whoever you are travelling to meet.
Answers
Thanksgiving Background Questions
When exactly is Thanksgiving?
The fourth Thursday of November in the United States, which means it moves between the 22nd and the 28th depending on the year. The countdown calculates it rather than assuming a fixed date.
Why is it not on a fixed date?
It was set by proclamation as a Thursday rather than as a calendar date, and Congress fixed the fourth Thursday in law in 1941 after Roosevelt's attempt to move it a week earlier caused several years of confusion.
What about Canadian Thanksgiving?
That falls on the second Monday of October, reflecting an earlier harvest. Use the custom countdown and set the date directly.
Can I count down to my travel day instead?
Yes — the countdown page takes any date and time and gives you a shareable link, which is often more useful than the holiday itself.
Does the countdown roll over?
Yes. Once the day has passed it targets next year's fourth Thursday automatically.