Storm snarls Thanksgiving travel rush
Will the Thanksgiving Parade go on as planned? When hippos fly
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There is still no word on whether the massive helium balloons will be allowed to fly during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Despite the threat of strong winds, crews are working through the night to inflate the balloons. The crowds are already lined up for what might be their best chance to see them. Gary Tuchman is on the scene.
Thanksgiving travel chaos
The storm along the east coast is causing a ripple effect of travel delays stretching across the country. Whether you are hitting the road or heading to the airport, the weather is posing a serious challenge for millions of Americans. So just how rough is it out there? John Berman has the latest.
Nor'easter causing a Thanksgiving travel nightmare
The massive storm that's causing a travel mess across much of the country is about to get worse as millions of Americans make their Thanksgiving getaways. The Northeast is bracing for brutal winds tomorrow that could mean a new round of flight delays and cancellations. It could trigger a domino effect at airports across the country. John Berman takes a look at the holiday weather chaos.
If you get stuck at the airport, do you know your rights? Amy Farley is the news editor for Travel and Leisure Magazine.
Deadly storm sweeps across the country just before Thanksgiving
A storm that's already blamed for at least 12 deaths is causing problems across the country. Some areas could see nearly a foot of snow, while others are dealing with wind, sleet, and heavy rain. Hundreds of flights have already been canceled, just as millions of Americans begin their Thanksgiving getaways. Jason Carroll has the latest.
What do you do if your travel plans are interrupted by the storm? Wolf spoke with Wall Street Journal travel columnist Scott McCartney.
Holiday communicating: What’s left unsaid
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Emma Lacey-Bordeaux
CNN Researcher
As the holidays approach I've been thinking about communication. Working at CNN as a researcher, my communication is dominated by the written and spoken word for nine hours straight. On a slow day I will work on 10 scripts and go through 100 emails. When I’m not reading and writing, I’m speaking – to our reporters in every corner of the world. At the end of the day my voice is tired from talking and my fingers from typing. Only a tiny percentage of my communication at CNN is non-verbal.
During the holiday season I have to re-adjust my own thinking on communication because of the symbolic, tangible and non-verbal holiday communication. At my family's Thanksgiving for example we communicate affection, connection and community through carefully prepared food eaten together. For me the significance and power of this communication was heightened this year when, for the first time, my boyfriend's family and my family dined together. Stefan's aunt's sweet potatoes were joyfully scarfed down alongside my father's Turkish zucchini and my first-ever attempt at a turkey. That which divides us was left unspoken and our togetherness communicated by a bountiful table, full stomachs and smiling faces.
David's guide to surviving Thanksgiving
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David Gewirtz | BIO
AC360° Contributor
Editor-in-Chief, ZATZ Publishing
Those of you outside the U.S. might not be aware of a little tradition we have here: Thanksgiving. According to our grade school classes, Thanksgiving is a holiday that came about when those wacky Pilgrims finally had a bountiful harvest, held a celebration, and gave thanks.
The historical reality is far more unclear, and very definitely subject to interpretation. A quick Google search of "thanksgiving" and "meaning" turns up more stuff than you'd believe.
Besides, nobody cares. Thanksgiving isn't about Pilgrims. The whole Pilgrim/Mayflower/Indian story serves merely as the MacGuffin that gives us our day of glorious gluttony.
In America, Thanksgiving means parades, football, families, and food. The last two, of course, are the challenge, and here's where my very short survival guide comes in.
I, like most folks, have fond memories of family Thanksgiving celebrations. But for years, they somewhat overwhelmed me. Often, we'd be joined by far-flung relatives whose names I couldn't remember. There'd be hugs from old people who shouldn't be allowed to hug without first getting a safety certification. And while there was plenty of food, there was never pizza.
A Day of Thanksgiving
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Ira Stoll
The Wall Street Journal
When was the first Thanksgiving? Most of us think of the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1621. But if the question is about the first national Thanksgiving holiday, the answer is that the tradition began at a lesser-known moment in 1777 in York, Pa.
In July 1776, the American colonists declared independence from Britain. The months that followed were so bleak that there was not much to give thanks for. The Journals of the Continental Congress record no Thanksgiving in that year, only two days of "solemn fasting" and prayer.
For much of 1777, the situation was not much better. British troops controlled New York City. The Americans lost the strategic stronghold of Fort Ticonderoga, in upstate New York, to the British in July. In Delaware, on Sept. 11, troops led by Gen. George Washington lost the Battle of Brandywine, in which 200 Americans were killed, 500 wounded and 400 captured. In Pennsylvania, early in the morning of Sept. 21, another 300 American soldiers were killed or wounded and 100 captured in a British surprise attack that became known as the Paoli Massacre.
There’s no place like home for the holidays…and by home I mean a bar far away from home
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Jack Gray
AC360 Associate Producer
Well, we’re just a few days away from Thanksgiving. Or, as I call it, Xanax Appreciation Day. The airports, railways and roadways will soon be filled with travelers heading home to be reminded of why they no longer live there. Then, on Thursday, families across this great land will gather around the table for heaping portions of turkey and passive aggression.
I myself will actually be staying in New York. I drew the short straw and was assigned to take care of Anderson’s goldfish, Regis Hussein Philbin.
But even though I have to work on the holiday I’m still going to make some time for myself. In fact, I’m thinking of going to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. That, or set my hair on fire. I haven’t decided.
