If you try to remember exactly where you were for Thanksgiving Day on 2017, the details might feel a bit hazy. Maybe you recall the smell of the bird in the oven or that one cousin who wouldn't stop talking about Bitcoin—which, honestly, was everywhere that year. But looking back, that specific Thursday, November 23, was a weirdly pivotal moment for American culture and the way we shop. It wasn't just a holiday. It was the year the "Black Friday Creep" reached its absolute boiling point, and the weather decided to be just as dramatic as the retail wars.
Usually, holidays blend together. Not this one.
The Chaos of the 2017 Holiday Calendar
Most people don't think about the logistics of the calendar, but Thanksgiving Day on 2017 fell relatively early. November 23 gave retailers a massive "Golden Week" leading into December. This sounds like a win for everyone, right? Well, it actually created this massive tension between traditionalists and big-box stores like Target and Best Buy.
I remember the headlines. Stores were opening earlier than ever. While some companies like REI stuck to their "Opt Outside" guns, others were basically inviting you to eat your mashed potatoes in the checkout line. It felt like the last year where physical retail really tried to throw hands with the internet before Amazon basically won the decade.
The weather that year was its own beast. If you were in the Northeast, you probably remember shivering. Hard. Records show it was one of the coldest Thanksgivings in years for places like New York City. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade went on, obviously, but the handlers for those giant balloons were struggling. It was about 30 degrees at kickoff, and the wind was no joke. People were wrapped in layers so thick you couldn't tell who was who.
How Thanksgiving Day on 2017 Changed Our Plates
Food trends are funny. In 2017, we were right in the middle of the "Instant Pot" craze. If you didn't have one on your counter, your neighbor did. This changed the game for Thanksgiving Day on 2017 because suddenly, people weren't spending fourteen hours hovering over a stovetop for side dishes.
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Mashed potatoes were done in twenty minutes.
Brussels sprouts were being charred with balsamic glaze—a trend that reached its peak that year.
But it wasn't just about speed. We saw a massive uptick in "Friendsgiving" becoming a mainstream commercial thing. Before 2017, it was a niche millennial hobby. By that year, brands were actually marketing specific Friendsgiving kits. It signaled a shift in how we view the holiday—less about rigid family obligation and more about chosen community.
And the turkey? Prices were actually down. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost of a 10-person Thanksgiving dinner in 2017 was about $49.12. That was the lowest price in five years. Compared to what we pay now, that sounds like a total fever dream. You could actually feed a crowd without taking out a second mortgage.
The Tech and Pop Culture Backdrop
You can't talk about Thanksgiving Day on 2017 without mentioning the "Elephant in the Room"—our phones. This was the year of the iPhone X. It had just launched a few weeks prior. Half the people at the table were probably hiding their faces behind their new screens, trying to figure out how FaceID worked while their grandmothers asked why there wasn't a home button anymore.
It was also a weirdly heavy time in the news.
The "Me Too" movement had just exploded a month earlier in October.
The political climate was... let's say "vibrant."
For many families, Thanksgiving Day on 2017 was the first time they were sitting down together after a year of intense national division. I know a lot of people who had "no politics" rules at the table that year just to survive the dessert course. It was the year of the "How to talk to your relatives" guide. Every major publication from the New York Times to local blogs was churning out advice on how to avoid a screaming match over the stuffing.
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Box Office and Binging
If you escaped to the movies, you were likely seeing Coco. Pixar’s masterpiece opened right around that weekend and absolutely dominated. It was the perfect holiday movie—thematic, emotional, and centered on family. It grossed over $70 million over the five-day holiday window.
At home? People were binging Stranger Things 2, which had dropped recently. The "Netflix and Chill" era was transitioning into the "Netflix and ignore your uncle" era.
Retailers vs. The Living Room
There was this huge debate in 2017 about whether stores should even be open on Thursday.
CVS, Walgreens, and many grocery stores stayed open for the "I forgot the cranberry sauce" emergencies. But the big-box shift was real.
Walmart started their "Black Friday" deals at 6:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day on 2017.
Target did the same.
This sparked a lot of backlash. You started seeing the "Save Thanksgiving" movement gain real traction online. People were posting those "I'm not shopping today" graphics on Facebook (back when people still used Facebook unironically). It was a cultural tug-of-war between the desire for a $200 4K TV and the desire to actually have a day of rest.
Interestingly, 2017 was also a massive year for online shopping on Thanksgiving itself. Adobe Analytics reported that $2.87 billion was spent online on that Thursday alone. That was an 18% jump from the year before. We were officially moving away from camping in tents outside Best Buy and toward clicking "Add to Cart" while in a food coma.
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What We Learned from That Year
Looking back, Thanksgiving Day on 2017 was a bit of a crossroads. It was the end of one era of retail and the beginning of another. It was a year where technology became a permanent guest at the table, for better or worse.
If you're looking to recreate some of that 2017 energy—maybe without the political tension—focus on the things that actually worked.
- Go back to the basics of the "Value Meal": Even with inflation, you can look at the 2017 menu (simple turkey, herb stuffing, basic root veggies) to save money. We’ve over-complicated our sides lately.
- The 20-Minute Side Rule: Use the pressure cooker. Seriously. The 2017 trend of using tech to save time in the kitchen is still the best way to actually enjoy your guests.
- Opt-Outside 2.0: Take a cue from the 2017 "Anti-Retail" movement. Make the day about a walk, a game of touch football (if your knees allow), or just sitting away from a screen.
The biggest takeaway from Thanksgiving Day on 2017 is that the holiday is resilient. Despite the cold weather, the retail madness, and the changing tech, the core of it—sitting down and acknowledging what you have—remained the same. It was a year of transitions, but the turkey still tasted like turkey.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Holiday:
To keep the spirit of 2017 alive without the stress, try "Batch Gifting" where you buy all your holiday gifts during the Thanksgiving weekend online to avoid the December rush. Also, consider the "Phone Basket" at the table—a 2017-era solution to a problem that has only gotten worse. Put the devices away for two hours. The world won't end, and the conversation might actually be better than you remember.