What it is
Thanksgiving is a day for a family meal, usually turkey, and for football and parades. Because it is the fourth Thursday in November, it falls between November 22 and 28.
The Wednesday before and the Sunday after are among the busiest travel days of the year.
Is it a day off?
Nearly all employers give Thanksgiving Day, and many also give the Friday after, so most people get a four-day weekend. Federal workers get only Thursday unless the president adds Friday by executive order. The stock market closes on Thursday and closes early, at 1 p.m. Eastern, on Friday.
History
President Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving in 1863 for the last Thursday in November. After President Franklin Roosevelt moved it a week earlier in 1939, Congress fixed it in 1941 to the fourth Thursday.