Taking Children Out of School for Thanksgiving

[bagofsnakes]

Any other US parents take their children out of school for thanksgiving?
We took our son out last year but as he was under 5 the school really didn’t care. This year we put in a formal request but it has been denied. It’ll go down as unauthorised. Are we the only ones that do this? I know that there are other American families in school and I know that at least one of them just tells the school that her kids are sick every Thanksgiving, although I’m not keen to go this route.
Background - I’m a UK citizen but DH and DC are US (DC born in US) but now live in UK. For those who aren’t familiar, Thanksgiving in the US is a super big deal, more so
Than Christmas for many families.

OK, so in the loveliest bits of NJ everybody leaves for somewhere further from the Turnpike
and they eat themselves senseless at home with family
because many people make it a four or five day break

What would OP have done with her kids till the live stream of NYC came on the TV after the time they would have finished school here in the UK

Have you never seen Planes, Trains and Automobiles? ✈️, 🚂, 🚗

The thing is though, you're not in the US. Can you not do the traditional turkey etc etc after school on Thursday?

How many of you would do this on Christmas day if you were in a country which didn't celebrate Christmas?

I don't know, I've never thought about it before but if I was in a different country I would still want to celebrate Christmas (all day) and St Patrick's day too. Luckily when I was in** the US they celebrated both.

It's almost 18 years since I lived in US but we still celebrate Thanksgiving (after school) since we came back.

Bubblebubblepop
You are allowed to take one day off each school year for religious observances.

Thanksgiving is totally secular. No way can you pass it off as religious.

Thanksgiving is totally secular. No way can you pass it off as religious.

Well, I think that might depend on whom you're thanking.

People do go to football games on Thanksgiving day especially in places where the same neighbouring high schools have been playing each other for over a hundred years. The girls play the powder puff game on the Weds. You go out and get pissed with your friends from home on that Weds night then peel yourself out of bed to catch the parade with the kids. Then off to freeze your ass off at the game then Turkey at about 2pm or whenever the Gods deem it ready. Followed by much lounging and eating of leftovers. Eventually everyone spills outside for a game of touch football. I need to stop...I miss it.

Football definitely a part of it all, if not live in person, then on television.

For many Americans, Thanksgiving does have a strong religious resonance. And we even have hymns that are traditionally sung in church services on Thanksgiving Day or the Sunday before or after. The first one, brought over by Dutch settlers, is my favorite.

If I wasn't at the ER with DS getting stitches to his head I'd be in NYC having dinner at places which are normally booked up. It's empty tonight with only a bunch of tourists trying to get into applebees at Times Square!

@SenecaFalls thanks that's one of the small silly questions I've never before got round to asking sorted!

Meanwhile Happy Thanksgiving everyone. (Although us Anglicans have already done Harvest Festival ... )

I do understand that if it's important to your family, even if it isn't to those around you, do what you gotta do and decide if the hits are worth it. It certainly sounds like it is for you. I do it for other holidays, though not for American Thanksgiving, so I hope you and yours enjoy it.

I find it interesting how important it is to some. It wasn't a super big deal where I grew up in, at least not that I could perceive, and in the 14 years since I immigrated from the US, I've never thought to do anything for it or know other Americans who do more than make comfort foods for dinner. Even in the people I still know who stayed where I graduated high school in the Bible Belt, the most I've heard about Thanksgiving there is people asking who is going to be around to go get a drink together in the evening, at least those not at the football or the cinemas or at one of the remembrance vigils and protests that always happen on Thanksgiving. It's a national creation myth holiday and lots of people go out for it or refuse it, likely just as many who stay at home for it or revere it.

Well, I dropped my DC at their school bus this morning and said, “Happy Turkey Day, my little Yankee children!” They appear to be looking forward to dinner and have promised me they will come home hungry. I’ve made the cranberry sausage, pumpkin pie, sweet potato casserole and cornbread and have the spiced poussins (don’t like turkey) marinating in the fridge. I just need to do the herby buttered green beans and stuffing later this afternoon.

Argh, cranberry sauce not sausage!

Ignore the attendance obsessives and take the kid out to make the most of the day if you don’t feel confining your celebration to the evening is appropriate for your family. These obsessive rules are despised by many British parents with a high regard for education. We have to endure a nutter of a head who likes to stigmatise kids with chronic health problems my making a huge fuss of kids with 100% attendance at prize giving. We have made it very clear to him what we think of this nonsense and our kid makes a point of getting academic prizes while never having 100% attendance.

Ignore the attendance obsessives and take the kid out to make the most of the day if you don’t feel confining your celebration to the evening is appropriate for your family

Well it's to late now....

haveacupoftea wrote:
You really are horribly rude OP.

I usually prefer to avoid ad hominem comments but...
You really are horribly rude haveacupoftea.

Jinglebell Thank you!!!!!!! I’ve registered for a free trial with the USTVNow and am currently watching the parade live for the first time since 1989!!!

SenecaFalls thanks for posting that link of the Thanksgiving hymns. I love those - loads of childhood memories tied up in those hymns.

We home educate, so we're home for Thanksgiving anyway, but we've taken the day off of our scheduled studies as it's a holiday for us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Noofly ☺️