STATISTA: FAMILY MATTERS
For most Americans, Thanksgiving is all about the family. And after a long election campaign, one which divided the country and drove a wedge between many families, people are looking forward to putting politics aside and enjoying a good meal with their loved ones. After all, a recent YouGov survey found that Thanksgiving is America's second favorite holiday, trailing only Christmas in popularity.
According to data from Statista Consumer Insights, 73 percent of U.S. adults plan to celebrate Thanksgiving with family this year, compared to just 20 percent who will cut the Turkey with friends instead. When asked what Thanksgiving is all about, spending time with family is also among the most common answers, shortly behind simply being thankful.
You will find more infographics at Statistaby Anna Fleck,
Nov 27, 2024
Each year the American Farm Bureau Federation releases a price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving dinner table. This year, the average cost of feasting stands at $54.33, which is less than last year but still constitutes a $8.64 increase from before the pandemic.
The most expensive item by far is the turkey, which this year costs an average of $25.67 and is an increase of $4.87 from pre-pandemic levels. While most ingredients have increased somewhat, sweet potatoes, fresh cranberries and whipping cream have dropped in value.
2024 marks the second consecutive year that the average price of a Thanksgiving dinner in the United States has decreased. However, this does not erase the increases seen between 2020 and 2022, when the meal rose from an average of $46.90 to $64.05 thanks to the impacts of inflation on food prices and farmers’ costs.
The AFBF discovered regional differences in the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal, with the most affordable prices found in the South at $56.81 and the most expensive in the West at $67.05.
The shopping list of the survey includes all ingredients and foods in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10. Volunteers checked prices in grocery stores in all 50 states and Puerto Rico for the Farm Bureau.
You will find more infographics at Statistaby Anna Fleck,
Nov 20, 2023
Black Friday falls on the fourth Friday of November each year, with Cyber Monday following just three days later. The two shopping days are some of the busiest of the year in the United States, with an estimated $19.6 billion raked in over the 2021 Thanksgiving weekend in e-commerce revenue alone.
U.S. shoppers keen to make the most of discounted prices were asked in a Statista survey which items they were planning on buying. As the following chart shows, clothing, electronics and shoes are among the most popular choices this year.
In terms of other shopping behaviors, the same survey found that where 41 percent of U.S. respondents said they would be shopping via online stores, 28 percent were undecided and 25 percent planned on heading to brick-and-mortar shops.
You will find more infographics at Statista
Giant Eagle from whom we buy most of our groceries gave me a free frozen 16 lb. Giant Eagle Turkey as a reward for my patronage. But I didn't want it, but they would not let me substitute the fresh 6 lb. turkey breast that I wanted for my crock pot. I got both but took the frozen one down to the parish food pantry.
ReplyDeleteI cooked my Turkey yesterday and made coleslaw. Betty made mashed potatoes. She is making a new vegetarian pumpkin-based dinner for Thanksgiving. Not good to have two cooks in the kitchen. I will probably have a little leftover turkey.
This evening, we are going to watch the 2.5 hour funeral service for Dean Robert of Canterbury Cathedral who died here in the states at Yale about a month ago. The funeral was about two weeks ago. We were constant companions of his garden Morning Prayer during the pandemic. Those sessions along with his funeral are at the Garden Congregation YouTube site.
Continuing the "Anglican theme" we are thinking of joining the Saint Thomas live service tomorrow at 11am and then watching a rerun of the National Cathedral Service in the evening. Both were favorite locations in the early years of the pandemic, but now we rarely watch them. So, it will be like inviting our virtual Anglican friends to Thanksgiving.
On Black Friday they are saying we have a good chance of an extended Lake effect blizzard beginning with 4-6 inches, and then another 2-3 inches clear though Tuesday!!! Temps below freezing for the who period. If that happens, we are likely to have a white Christmas unless we get some very warm or sunny days before then.
I am sorry to hear of the death of Dean Robert. I enjoyed listening to him. And I remember that he spoke such kind words of encouragement to his American audience after the Capitol insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.
DeleteJack and Betty and all, hope everyone has a nice day. We had Thanksgiving yesterday to accommodate The Boy's schedule.
ReplyDeleteTurkey too much fussing and too expensive. I made pork roast, sweet potatoes, cabbage salad w cranberries and walnuts, and bread dressing. The Boy brought ice cream and windmill cookies for dessert.
Hot pork sandwiches and leftovers today.
I got some cheapo turkey wings for soup tomorrow. Will make some noodles or spaetzle to put in, and that will be dandy and smell good while cooking. I have garden sage to put in.
I enjoyed Dean Robert's YouTubes, too. May he rest in peace!
Our younger son and daughter in law volunteered to host Thanksgiving this year, so we will go to Omaha tomorrow. I'm just glad not to have to do all the cooking. I made a pumpkin pie and an apple one to take, and the rest is up to them. I've an idea the menu might be a little unusual! But looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow looks to be cold, but snow isn't in the forecast here.
I hope all of you have a happy Thanksgiving, and safe travels if you are going anywhere.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I know a Happy Clappy Thanksgiving isn’t in the cards these days, but I am thankful for friends and family, both in normal space and cyberspace. As long as there is love, there is something for which to be thankful.
ReplyDeleteHappy thanksgiving to all. Two of our sons and families came, with five of our seven grandchildren. We celebrated yesterday because airplane tickets for a family of five were cheaper if they fly home today. I am very grateful to be celebrating this year at home. Last year my husband was at UCLA hospital recovering from the sepsis that almost killed him. This year we are at home - in our own home. We are so thankful that my husband is alive, and his general health is good. He now stays in the family room next to our kitchen, looking at the woods and animals. His bird feeder is up again and we enjoy seeing the many varieties of his beloved birds that flock to it. His older sister came from New York on Wednesday. By Friday our house will again be quiet - just us and my husbands caregiver. We have so much to be grateful for because we feared that Thanksgiving 2023 would be his last. We are grateful for so much this year. My anxiety is a bit less. A bit less fear. Maybe a bit less depressed. Thank you God.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it was long (two and a half hours is longer that Pope Francis allows for most of his services) Dean Robert's funeral helped to understand his life beyond the Garden Congregation of the Pandemic. The service was so long because of the homily, eulogy from a life- long priest friend, and the comments of three bishops!
ReplyDeleteThe Dean of our National Cathedral gave the homily. He said that several months before the pandemic they had completely rewired the Cathedral with sixteen cameras and a control room worthy of a moon shot. However, Dean Roberts and Fletcher gathered a worldwide congregation with an iphone and stick. In one of the episodes of Morning Prayer, Dean Roberts described the process. He would get up early and for about an hour sketch out what we wanted to say. Then he would wake up Fletcher with coffee and they would discuss what location(s) to use for the filming. After the filming, Fletcher would spend several hours editing the material (it looked seamless, but it wasn’t made that way) and adding information from the internet.
The priest friend was from Dean Robert’s days as a parish priest. When asked what he like most about being a parish priest, Robert replied "having tea in the homes of parish members." Tea served in Canterbury Garden was the format for Morning Prayer. When the Dean was talking into the camera, he was facing his silent and unseen partner, Fletcher.
The priest remarked that Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer were a part of every day for Dean Roberts not just services at the Cathedral when it was necessary for him to be there.
The former presiding bishop of the US Episcopal Church and the present presiding bishop of the Canadian Church both gave testimony of how Dean Roberts had helped them fulfill their roles at critical times. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s actual residence and Anglican headquarters is at Lambert Palace in London. Dean Robert and Fletcher were famous for their hospitality in making everyone regardless of their rank feel that Canterbury Cathedral was their home even if it was just the start or end of a pilgrimage, even if they were not Anglican or even Christian.
Dean Roberts was Dean of another Cathedral before Canterbury. He had saved it from financial ruin. Roberts also had a large role in Canterbury’s finances especially through two groups the Friends of Canterbury in the U.S., and in Canada. He and Fletcher had spent a lot of time in North America before the pandemic. Therefore, it was natural that they should spend a lot of time here now and that Dean Roberts would die and have a funeral here in the U.S.
I was surprised to find out that he had spent a lot of time in the US. He seemed so quintessentially British. I wonder if they will have a memorial service for him back home. The archbishop of Canterbury would be the logical celebrant, except there isn't an archbishop of Canterbury now that Justin Welby has resigned. That was a sad deal, and Catholics don't have any room to be snarky over it.
DeleteThe memorial service in England next year will be at Salisbury Cathedral where he served in a lesser office than Dean. I think it is closer to where he grew up and is also the place where he wrote my musical compositions in collaboration with the staff.
DeleteI don't think either he or Fletcher were happy that his tenure was not extended beyond the mandatory age 75 retirement or at least that he be created emeritus Dean immediately and/or be made the acting Dean until his successor was appointed. Perhaps some envy of the great successfulness of the Garden Congregation? They may not have wanted people to be coming there to see him as Dean Emeritus, and instead encouraged him and Fletcher to be ambassadors abroad
The Canterbury website says that they are respecting the family's wishes, that the Dean of Salisbury was a former curate with Dean Roberts, and that "We are exploring planning our own thanksgiving for Dean Robert to take place at Canterbury Cathedral following his Memorial Service at Salisbury Cathedral. Details will be shared when plans are established."
DeleteHeavy lake effect snow expected here. Total snow accumulations
ReplyDeletebetween 6 and 18 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. A multi-day lake effect snow event off Lake Erie will begin tonight and bring periodic heavy snow to the region. These heavy lake effect snow bands will bring occasional 1 to 2 inch per hour snowfall rates and poor visibility, as low as one quarter of a mile, which will make travel difficult to impossible, especially along Interstate 90.
Details: Snow accumulating 3 to 5 inches tomorrow morning, another. 3 to 5 inches in the evening. I am supposed to be having the installation of a security light at 9am tomorrow. My snow removal guys know that. We are just off State and Township roads which they will likely be plowing through the early hours of the morning. If the installers are brave and come here, they will likely be able to install the light and get out.
Don't know what will happen to Black Friday sales. I don't think the sheriff and road crews are going to like the idea of a whole bunch of people out there driving to shopping in the early mornings. Tomorrow is probably going to be bad for all but essential traffic. I suspect that what the authorities will say sooner or later.
Let up on Saturday only an inch in the morning and evening. But Sunday 1-3 inches in the morning and another in the evening. An inch during the day on Monday but 1-3 inches in the evening. Tues 1-3 inches both in the morning and the evening. Another inch or two on Wednesday. Temps below the freezing for the whole period. Could be two feet on the ground by the end of the period
Will that last until Christmas? Highs in the upper thirties with sunshine but over-night freezing beginning December.17 Highs in the lower forties without overnight freezing beginning December 22 lasting the whole week. High of 47 on Christmas day. Don't think there will be much snow left on the ground unless some unexpected snow storms occur between this one and Christmas.
We are not that far from you, but far enough in the center of the state that we miss a lot of lake effect snow. Little skiff of snow on the roofs this morning, my cue to full up the bird feeders. The grain elevator man sells it cheap and gives me a senior discount. Sometimes it pays to look this decrepit!
DeleteWe went to my parents' house for Thanksgiving. My mom is 85 but is still the general in charge of the Thanksgiving meal, including roasting the turkey and preparing the stuffing. And baking three pies.
ReplyDeleteI brought a sweet potato casserole. One of my kids brought some homemade applesauce. There was also mashed potatoes, gravy, macaroni and cheese, cranberries, and crescent rolls. I had one glass of pretty-okay red wine but no more than that - had to drive home later that evening. (My folks are about an hour away from where we live.) Three of our four kids were able to come. My brother and his family from Michigan came, and so did my aunt and uncle, also from Michigan. That's our family's core Thanksgiving crew. No additional outriders this year.
I have various other siblings but they never come. I know my parents wish they would. (I do, too.) They all live far enough away that airplane flights would be required. I think everyone in the family understands that's a difficult decision - whether or not to spend the money. The "root cause" is that they've all moved so far away from where our family is rooted that they have to make that fly-or-not decision every year.
I watched the first football game, which featured the Chicago Bears, and sort of glanced at the other games. In the evening, I turned on "Mary Poppins" but kept flipping back and forth between that and the evening football game. Hard to please everyone, and my folks only have one television (God bless 'em), so what to watch has to be a group decision.
We're a politically diverse family, but thankfully nobody felt like discussing politics around the Thanksgiving table.
We had Thanksgiving at our younger son and daughter in law 's house, in Omaha. He volunteered to host this year, and I was glad to let them. We used to always go to my parent's house, and all of my siblings and families would be there. That was a four or five hour drive. But Mom and Dad are gone, and everyone has kind of branched out on their own. Everyone has grandchildren now. Our older son and daughter in law also live in Omaha and they were there too. It's always interesting to see what he will bring, he's turned into the chef of the family. I brought pies.
DeleteIt was just a day trip, it takes about an hour and 45 minutes to get there. We were home by 5:00 pm, we don't like to drive in the dark anymore. (Gee I must be turning into an elder person).
Our ten year old granddaughter is taking violin lessons, and we got to hear her play a solo. It actually sounded good, considering that she hasn't been at it that long. I tried to record it on my phone, but all I got was a picture of my foot and no sound. Still learning my way around a new phone, will have to work on recording videos.
DeleteYes, the secret to having a wonderful Thanksgiving. Getting together with my cousins and no mention of politics.
DeleteThis is kinda fun: Interactive BuzzFeed survey tells you how typical yr Thanksgiving is.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/thanksgiving-hot-take-opinion-polls
Interesting! Found out only 23% of people have their Thanksgiving meal noon to 2:00-ish. If you're traveling both ways it doesn't work to have it later. We always had dinner at noon when I was a kid, supper was the evening meal.
DeleteMy gramma would stuff us at dinner and then make "a lunch" before we went home. Like we might starve in the hour and a half it took to drive back from her house.
DeleteMy husband’s mother always referred to the evening meal as supper. My family always referred to it as dinner. The midday meal was lunch. My husband and I both used lunch and dinner to refer to those mealtimes in our home. My mother in law grew up in Bal- mor (Baltimore). My husband denies that she pronounced it that way ( most natives of that city do pronounce it Bal- mor) but she did. He doesn’t and never did. But he didn’t grow up there. She did Thanksgiving for years and we alternated between their house and my family. She was not a good cook - the worst gravy ever - so I preferred my family during those early years of our marriage.
DeleteI never had dinner at a grandparents’ house since I only had one grandparent. She never cooked thanksgiving dinner that I recall. My mother did and she came to our house. Later my eldest sister did Thanksgiving for the extended family. Eventually it was our house with friends and strays, not siblings. Then we flew to Calif for a few years.This year they came here and did everything. No matter where - it was late afternoon or early evening 4-6pm
It was always breakfast, lunch, and supper (main meal). Dinner was something you went out for at someone's home or (very infrequently) a restaurant.
DeleteHa, Bal-more reminds me of The Wire. There's also "Wash-nun" for "Washington" a la Lady Bird Johnson. Some Midwesterners say "Warshin-tun," but I am not one of them.
Warshin-tun - I’ve heard that. It’s like fingernails on a blackboard for me!
DeleteWarshin-tun is how it was pronounced where I grew up in Southwestern PA. in Warshin-tun County whose county seat is what we called "Little Warshin-tun."
DeleteBetty thinks that I lost my Southwestern PA accent during the years I spent at U. Mass Amherst on my postdoctoral research fellowship. Maybe?
One of my girlfriends from the Upper Peninsula and I "talk Yooper" sometimes. It's part accent, part attitude, part nonverbals. A lot of info is conveyed in what is not said.
DeleteEx: "Yah, Jason's wife grilled lamb chops for Thanksgiving, so, ya know, that was kinda different." Trans: "Jason's wife is a pretentious wing-ding who will never be allowed to host a holiday again."
For those of you who are interested in Dean Robert, you might be interested in two interviews with his gay partner, Fletcher Banner.
ReplyDeleteThe first is from Saint Bart's New York which I suspect serves the gay community since it is an extensive discussion of their relationship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wedAlAixrRI
In the beginning Fletcher was still working in London. Eventually he left his job and became a full-time volunteer at Canterbury, not an unusual role.
Now Canterbury is a big place, and especially the Dean's house is a big place. It serves as both an office and a residence. Guests reside there and eat there. Dean Robert and Fletcher could be very open about their relationship in America. At Canterbury it depended upon who were guests. If they came from a part of the world which did not accept homosexuality, Fletcher simply disappeared, i.e. he did not come to meals or other social occasions.
It also helps to understand British culture. The Dean of Canterbury is a crown appointment so that he is a political as well as a church official and therefore has some of the prerogatives of royalty. "We followed the queen's policy about complaints. Never explain, never complain."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3PIXW2z7lA
The second interview is at the church associated with Yale Divinity School. It deals more with the professional aspects of their relationship. Fletcher like many wives became intertwined with Dean Robert's professional life.
It was interesting to learn that Fletcher was really responsible for all the animals in the Garden Congregation. He brough cats into the house while Dean Robert was off somewhere lecturing. Of course during the Garden Congregation episodes themselves we learned that Fletcher was responsible for a lot of the garden innovations that had taken place at Canterbury.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3PIXW2z7lA
Through the funeral eulogies and these two interviews Betty and I feel we have a much better understanding of the Garden Congregation episodes.
I enjoyed hearing about them, but I thought that having poultry and pigs on the grounds was a little weird, and my guess has been that the next dean packed Winnie and Clemmie and those chickens off to the knackers and dismantled that part of the operation.
DeleteThere was a great story Dean Robert told about QE2 coming to tea before some official function and one of the cats hanging around. The Dean and Fletcher explained that the cat was used to sitting at the tea table, and the Queen said not to deprive the cat on her account. So a plate was set for the cat, and the Queen had a good laugh over that.
I always thought the story of the Queen, the cat, the Dean, and his boyfriend would make a great children's book. A book that that would immediately get banned or burned at Christian schools across America.