The Thanksgiving information I gave the folks I work with- probably much more than they wanted to know- but I can't help it if I'm full of information!
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You will all be happy to know that one week from today (next Thursday, November 23) is the American holiday of Thanksgiving!

Be thankful that your call volume should be way down; nobody in the USA wants to work on Thanksgiving!

I’m sure you know some things about American Thanksgiving already, but here is a short refresher and maybe some extra information:

Thanksgiving is celebrated every fourth Thursday of November. Traditionally it is held to remember the harvest feast shared by the Pilgrims (the first English settlers in North America) and the Native Americans, also known as “Indians” which was held in 1621.

Through the years many people privately celebrated Thanksgiving as a time to thank God for all the good things in their lives. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving; and a national holiday.

In 1939 it was considered improper to start Christmas shopping and decorating before Thanksgiving. In the face of a national economic depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to move Thanksgiving from the last Thursday in November to the third Thursday in November to prolong the pre-Christmas sales season and help boost the economy.

Many Americans were unhappy with the change in the holiday’s date and continued to celebrate on the last Thursday of November, calling the third Thursday “Franksgiving” Day. In 1941 it was decided by the US Congress that Thanksgiving day would officially be the fourth Thursday in November, which means sometimes it is the last Thursday, and sometime it is the next to last Thursday.

Thanksgiving is celebrated by inviting friends and family over for a large feast. The feast traditionally includes turkey, pumpkin pie, potatoes and a large variety of other vegetables and breads. On Thanksgiving Day many people enjoy watching American football games and/or the Macy’s Day Parade on TV.

Every year the National Turkey Federation gives the White House four turkeys. Two are prepared for the feast and two are named and then “pardoned” or set free by the President.
Last year the pardoned turkeys were named Marshmallow and Yam.

The day after Thanksgiving us called “Black Friday.” It is usually given as a day off from work (Yeah for you) so that people can spend more time with their families or pursue other activities. The most popular activity is shopping. The day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year. It is the official kick of to the Christmas shopping season.

Feel free to greet your customers with “Happy Thanksgiving” next week, and you can ask them what plans they have for Thanksgiving for small talk, as well as what plans they have for the day after Thanksgiving.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving for more information.
(Canadian Thanksgiving was last month.)