In this week’s Feast newsletter: America’s most popular holiday is a chance to gather around the table in gratitude, wherever you live, and have fun with your menu

• Sign up here for our weekly food newsletter, Feast

This is an extract from our weekly Feast newsletter, written by Felicity Cloake, Meera Sodha, Rachel Roddy and others. Sign up here to get it free to your inbox every Thursday.

Any British reference to the US’s most popular holiday puts me in mind of Regina George’s line in that noughties classic Mean Girls. To paraphrase: “Stop trying to make Thanksgiving happen. It’s not going to happen.” We’ve enthusiastically adopted the charming tradition of the Black Friday sales that follow, but given that the Christmas decorations went up around here when people were still setting off fireworks for Guy Fawkes Night, our busy festive calendars simply don’t have time for another shindig.