Giving Thanks north of the Border

Canadian troops giving thanks at Cambrei Cathedral in 1918 - click to enlarge
www.wikipedia.org

  A statutory Holiday in Canada, for the most part, co-insides with Columbus Day, I think, in the good old USA.  Lots of Canadians use the long weekend to shop in Maine, at least around here, most from the Atlantic Provinces.   Now I need to tell you that Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador it is an optional Holiday.  And the Atlantic Provinces are where our shoppers live.
  The menu at a Thanksgiving Meal pretty much mimics the United States (mimics isn't the right word, it should be mirrors).
  Churches are decorated with pumpkins and sheaves of wheat or cornucopias.  Hymns and Bible readings reflect the Jewish Holiday of Sukkot (celebrate the harvest).

  I should note that Rat in the comic strip Pearls Before Swine wants more border patrols on the Canadian Border so they don't sneak in more Justin Beibers. 

Shopping for pumpkins in Ottawa - click to enlarge.