The American holiday of Thanksgiving is not only a day to gather with family and friends to feast and give thanks, but also a demarcation line for another celebrated event: the holiday shopping season.

No sooner will Thanksgiving end on Thursday than Black Friday will begin the next morning. For 2025, Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 27, which is among the latest dates it can be on the November calendar, and Black Friday will be on Nov. 28.

Since 1942, the United States has celebrated Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November, meaning it can be as early as Nov. 22 or as late as Nov. 28. For decades before that, dating to the time of President Abraham Lincoln, Thanksgiving was celebrated on the last Thursday in November.

The distinction is a small one, since under the previous system

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