I want to wish you all a belated Happy American Thanksgiving. At this time of year I am particularly cognizant of my American roots. I love the amount of tradition that goes with American Thanksgiving. It is more than just the turkey and the parade and the football.

Recently I was giving a presentation to a group of payroll professionals about the differences between American and Canadian employment practices. In case you don’t know, one of the big differences is that there is no Federal statute in the U.S. that mandates paid public holidays. I will say though that historically it is one of two days (4th of July being the other) in which employers expect that people will not go to work. As a kid, Thanksgiving had a certain sacredness and generousity that other days did not. That said, it has been a bit disheartening to see the number of stores that were open yesterday. For me, this is just the reality that things change.

Anyway, with the reverence of times past, I wish you all the best during this holiday season.