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Thanksgiving 2025: How to celebrate the American holiday while in the UK

Bringing some pumpkin-spiced warmth to the November chill by celebrating friends, family and gratitude during the American holiday.  

Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday in November every year, and this year is on Thursday 27 November. 

What is Thanksgiving? 

Thanksgiving is a national holiday, celebrated primarily in the United States. 

Often commemorated with a large feast, the iconic turkey dinner represents the first thanksgiving in America. Dating back to 1619 where colonists in Plymouth, Massachusetts, (later known as the Pilgrims) allegedly shared a meal with the Wampanoag Indians – the natives to the land. 

Over time the meal became a way to show appreciation for the aid provided by the Native Americans and later as a day of thanks, called for by US presidents like George Washington and John Adams. 

Commonly referred to as ‘Turkey Day’, Thanksgiving is always followed by one of the biggest commercial shopping days in the US calendar: Black Friday. 

How is Thanksgiving celebrated? 

While Thanksgiving is mostly known as a fall (autumn) holiday, some people affiliate the holiday with the festive season. 

In the US, Thanksgiving is a public holiday so most people will be off work and schools are closed. Many offices also give employees the Friday off work too. 

Traditionally family and friends will gather to celebrate together, cooking their Thanksgiving dinner and sharing what they are thankful for that year. 

Many households have taken to upholding new traditions, such as watching American Football. The NFL (National Football League) televise three major games on Thanksgiving Day. 

One of the most iconic celebrations during thanksgiving is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

The grand parade dates back to the 1920s, when Macy’s employees made their way to the flagship store on 34th Street in New York, with participants adorned in vibrant costumes. The parade featured colourful floats, professional marching bands, and even live animals on loan from the Central Park Zoo. 

Nowadays the parade is streamed live and includes plenty of floats from well-known brands. 

Thanksgiving activities 

The perfect way to commemorate the ‘thanks’ in thanksgiving is to create a gratitude jar, which is a place for you to write down all the things you are thankful for. 

Image of jar  

All you need to do is label your jar, grab some pieces of paper, take a moment to write down what you’re thankful for and fill your jar. You can either choose to open these throughout the year, maybe if you’re having a bad day, or save them to open them next Thanksgiving. 

Celebrate Thanksgiving with a traditional meal  

If you’re looking to commemorate Thanksgiving this year, you could make your own Thanksgiving dinner to share with friends. 

Much like a Christmas dinner, this meal is made up of essentials like roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and gravy.  

Common side dishes include sweet potatoes, cornbread and green beans. For dessert, pumpkin pie is the classic choice, though apple or pecan pie is also popular. 

How to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner 

You can prepare and customise your meal to your own preferences. If you want to use traditional Turkey at this time of year, you can find them in the freezer aisles of most supermarkets. You could also roast a chicken instead if you prefer.  

Alternatively, if you want to go meat-free, UK supermarkets have vegan and vegetarian roast options, such as a ‘no turkey crown’ from Sainsbury’s. 

Stuffing 

As an essential for Thanksgiving dinner, it’s easy to find and make! You can find boxed, pre-made stuffing mixes in most supermarkets. Prices can be as low as 50p at Aldi and Lidl.  

Mashed potatoes  

Mashed potato is where this meal differs from what you would expect during a Christmas dinner. Mashed potatoes are simple to make, and you can find bags of white potatoes (ideal for mashing) for very reasonable prices in all supermarkets. 

Cranberry sauce  

The sweet flavour of cranberry sauce is the perfect companion to the savoury Thanksgiving dinner. While it is an acquired taste, cranberry sauce can be found in most UK supermarkets and costs as little as 50p per jar.   

Side dishes 

If you’re after the whole American Thanksgiving experience, then you can add side dishes that suit your preferences – maybe some green beans or sweet potatoes!  

Dessert 

In true Thanksgiving style, no dinner would be complete without something sweet. In America, it is common to enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie. You can find recipes for pumpkin pie online, or swap this out for another dessert such as apple pie or apple crumble. 

 

We hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving celebrations!