It’s almost Turkey Time!

To help the day go smoothly, arm yourself with some fun Thanksgiving trivia to share!

The table is more than just a place for the large amounts of food everyone will contribute to your meal. It’s also a place to reconnect – something you can still do even over zoom! The table provides a place where everyone can see each other, hear each other, and maybe even laugh at each other as family gets together after time apart over the busy year.

As with most families, there are always a few things that remain out of bounds at the table, and these can vary greatly. Maybe for your family it’s the treefrog population, or the United States Postal Service. Whatever it may be, conversations with that random uncle or second cousin you only see once a year can be tough, and we all know that things can get awkward. The good news is, we’re here to help!

We’ve put together some Thanksgiving trivia sure to break any awkward silence or move the conversation in a new, more fun direction. It’s okay, you can thank us for it later.

Every animal seems to have a special name for when they are babies. Turkeys are no different: baby turkeys are called Poults.[1] It’s like it came from the word ‘poultry’, right? Depending on the breed of turkey, it only takes 18 weeks on average to raise a Broad Breasted Turkey poult to maturity.

In 1981, Butterball opened a hotline for Turkey related meal preparation questions. This year marks their 40th year and due to popular demand, they have expanded their operation from 6 to over 50 staff members to handle over 100,000 calls every holiday season. The line is open from November 1st to December 24th with extra hours of operation the week of Thanksgiving.[2]

Viewed by over 50 million people annually on the morning of Thanksgiving, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has gone through a few changes over the years.  The use of large balloons began in 1927, replacing the zoo animals that had been paraded through the streets of New York the first three years. Felix the Cat was the first ever oversized balloon, and since organizers did not come up with a plan for after the parade, the balloons were simply let go. As you can imagine with large structures all around, the balloons didn’t make it far before they popped. In 1997, there were three separate balloon related incidents where oversized characters ripped, ran into light poles and were out of control due to strong winds, there are now size limits on each balloon.[3]

The TV dinner was invented because Swanson massively overcalculated the amount of turkeys they would sell for Thanksgiving in 1953 and were left with 260 tons of frozen turkey. A salesman at the company had the idea to package the excess into small trays accompanied by basic side dishes to make meals. Paired with marketing about the ease of preparation, the concept was an instant hit with consumers, selling 10 million turkey dinners in 1954.[4]

In 1705, Colchester, Connecticut was so convinced that the holiday could not go on without pumpkin pie, they postponed Thanksgiving by a week until molasses, a crucial ingredient in the dessert in old recipe, could be restocked.[5]

Turkeys must like the cold temperatures and that classic Midwestern charm. Minnesota has been at the top of the list for over 15 years as the state that raises the most Turkeys, supplying about 18% of all turkeys sold in the United States every year.[6]

According to Princeton’s history books, the first thanksgiving football game was not hosted by the NFL, but rather Princeton and Yale in 1876. Students from both schools decided to square of in an “11-on-11 from of rugby”. Eventually the annual event became popular enough to attract over 40,000 fans only seven years later after the event was moved to New York.[7]

And finally, if you happen to get a bone or some grease stuck in your sink pipes and need some help to get things flowing again, you’ll have to join the waiting list. According to Roto-Rooter, the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for plumbers. To avoid the hassle and give your local plumber some time back, avoid putting turkey grease down the drain and empty as much of your leftovers into the garbage first before rinsing. Roto-Rooter and pals will thank you!

We could go on and on – it’s amazing how many interesting things there are about this long-standing holiday and the traditions that surround it. We hope that as you prepare for the day, you can stop and take a moment to think about what you are thankful for this year.

At Annex, we’re thankful for you! Enjoy your holiday!

Have an idea you’d like us to write about, or a story to share? Send us an email at cl************@*********th.com.

[1] https://homesteading.com/farm-raised-turkey-thanksgiving/

[2] https://www.butterball.com/about-us/press-releases/the-butterball-turkey-talk-line-opens-today-celebrating-40-years

[3] https://bestlifeonline.com/thanksgiving-facts/

[4] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tray-bon-96872641/

[5] https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-pumpkin-pie

[6] https://bestlifeonline.com/thanksgiving-facts/

[7] https://paw.princeton.edu/article/throwbackthursday-princeton%E2%80%99s-role-birth-thanksgiving-football