We wish you all a happy Thanksgiving day. I wondered if the academic literature could provide any insights to use on this day. If Google is a good guide, the formal economics literature has ignored the phenomenon of the Thanksgiving tradition.
“We Gather Together” from the Journal of Consumer Research in 1991 does, at the very least, exist. The first line of the abstract made me smile.
Thanksgiving Day is a collective ritual that celebrates material abundance enacted through feasting.
The third line of the abstract made me think.
So certain is material plenty for most U.S. citizens that this annual celebration is taken for granted by participants.
Here is the official guidance from the CDC about 2020 holiday gatherings. They recommend against large gatherings and also provide tips for visiting people more safely: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html
Economist Writing Every Day 