Early holiday already tried

Sat., Dec. 11, 2010

In reply to the letter from Roy Tiefisher on Nov. 29, we tried an earlier Thanksgiving date. In 1939 President Roosevelt proclaimed that Thanksgiving Day be observed one week earlier than President Lincoln had in 1863 (World Book Encyclopedia). Roosevelt hoped it would help business by making the shopping period between Thanksgiving and Christmas longer.

Congress finally ruled in 1941 that Thanksgiving would be observed on the last Thursday of November and would be a legal holiday.

Although I am old enough to remember, all I do remember is that some people observed the one earlier and others the one designated by President Lincoln.

Virginia Hutsell

Davenport

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