Football and the Holidays: Thanksgiving Traditions

By 4Football Staff · October 20, 2026 · 10 min read

Why football and Thanksgiving belong together, how the pro, college and high school traditions work, and how to plan a holiday that keeps both the game and the family happy.

The turkey is in the oven, a cousin is arguing about the second quarter, and somebody has gone out to the yard to throw a ball around before the afternoon game kicks off. For a great many American families, that scene is Thanksgiving. Football is not an add-on to the holiday; in plenty of households it is the structure of the day, the thing that tells everyone when to eat, when to nap and when to gather around the screen.

This guide covers why the pairing exists, how the pro, college and high school versions of holiday football differ, what the other holidays look like on a football calendar, and how to plan a day that works for both the people who love the game and the people who would rather talk. It is a guide to traditions, so we keep to what is well established and tell you where to check a current schedule.

Why football and Thanksgiving ended up together

The link goes back to the earliest days of the game. In the late 1800s, Thanksgiving was one of the few days on which a large number of people had a weekday off, and it fell at the end of the college season. Colleges scheduled big games on the holiday, and championship games between leading teams were commonly played on Thanksgiving Day in that era. Crowds were large, newspapers covered the games, and the habit of watching football on the fourth Thursday of November took hold.

Professional football inherited the tradition. The league that became the NFL played games on Thanksgiving in its early years, and the day became a regular fixture for some teams. The most famous example is Detroit, which has hosted a Thanksgiving game for most of the years since the 1930s. The idea behind it was practical: a holiday crowd, a national radio audience and a team that wanted attention. Dallas joined the holiday schedule in the 1960s and has hosted for most years since. Those two cities are so closely linked with the day that fans treat their games as the traditional opening of the holiday viewing. For the full story, see our history of Thanksgiving football.

Television did the rest. A holiday gives networks a large, relaxed audience that is home and often awake in the afternoon. Football fits the shape of the day: the games run three hours or so, they are paced in a way that allows conversation in the gaps, and they give the household a shared focus without demanding that everyone follow every play.

The three levels of Thanksgiving football

Football on Thanksgiving weekend is not one thing. It is at least three, and each has its own character.

Professional: the afternoon and evening games

The NFL has long scheduled games on Thanksgiving Day itself. In recent decades, the league has typically placed several games on the holiday, with early-afternoon and late-afternoon kickoffs followed by a primetime game. The exact number, the matchups and the start times are decided in the league's schedule each year, so check the schedule page or the league's announcement rather than relying on last year's memory.

Two things are worth knowing as a viewer. First, teams that play on Thursday have a short week, since the Sunday game before the holiday leaves them only a few days to prepare. Second, because the games are scheduled in specific broadcast windows, the holiday lineup is tied to the league's television arrangements, which can change from one contract period to the next.

College: rivalry week

For college football, the Thanksgiving weekend is traditionally rivalry weekend. The final week or two of the regular season often includes the games that have been played for decades between neighboring schools, in-state rivals and old conference foes. These are some of the best-attended and most emotional games of the year, and they can decide conference standings and bowl placement.

The schedule for these games varies. Some are played on Thanksgiving Day or the following Friday; most land on the Saturday after the holiday. Because these dates are set by conferences and television partners, they differ from year to year. The college page on our site follows the week's games and results. If you have a rivalry to follow, look at the schools' own sites for kickoff times and ticket information, especially if you plan to travel.

High school: the morning game

In some regions, especially in parts of the Northeast and in a number of other communities, Thanksgiving morning belongs to high school football. Neighboring towns play a rivalry game that has been on the calendar for generations, often on a cold morning that ends in time for families to sit down at the table. The traditions around these games, including alumni gatherings, breakfast before the game and the habit of attending in whatever you wore to dress for the cold, are as important as the football.

Not every state or school plays on Thanksgiving, and the season may have ended earlier, particularly in states where the playoffs begin in early November. Rules differ by state association. If you want to find a game, our high school directory can help you locate local schools, and the school's athletic site will confirm the date and time.

Other holidays on the football calendar

Thanksgiving is the biggest holiday for football, but it is not the only one.

The Rose Bowl Game, which is played in Pasadena, California, has a long association with New Year's Day, and the date has become part of how many families think of the holiday. Bowl games have, over the decades, spread across December and January, and their dates change when the structure of the postseason changes, so use the current announcements for dates and kickoff times.

Christmas is trickier. The NFL has scheduled games on Christmas Day in some years, depending on where the holiday falls in the week, and the arrangement has varied. The league announces the plan with the schedule. Many households now build a second tradition around those games, but it is worth keeping in mind that not everyone in a family wants football on every holiday.

Planning a holiday that works for everyone

A holiday with football in it requires some planning, because the game does not stop for dinner. Here are the practical decisions that tend to matter.

Decide the shape of the day

The most useful step is to decide, in advance, how the football fits around the meal. A few common patterns work well.

1. Game first, meal second. Eat after the early game and keep the second game as background. This suits a household with strong football fans who also want everyone at the table.
2. Meal first, game second. Sit down at the usual time, then settle in for the afternoon or evening game. This suits a family that values the dinner.
3. Two rooms. Keep the game on in one room and the conversation in another, so people can move between them without anyone feeling shut out.
4. Mute and subtitle. Leave a game on silently with captions for the sake of the people who want to peek at the score without the noise.

None of these is right for everyone. The point is that agreeing on a plan before the day takes the pressure off the moment.

Think about the people who do not care about football

Not everyone in the room wants to watch. A host who has the television blaring from morning until night is likely to hear about it. Offer a break: a walk after the meal, a board game or a card game while a game plays in the background, or a second screen for the dedicated fans. Our guide to hosting a football watch party covers seating, snacks and keeping a mixed crowd comfortable.

Plan the food around the game

Thanksgiving dinner takes hours. A practical approach is to prepare as much as possible earlier, then let the game fill the waiting time. Most of the traditional dishes can be made ahead or kept warm. If there are children in the house, plan a snack for the kickoff so no one is starving at halftime. Pay attention to food safety: general guidance from public health agencies is to keep hot food hot and cold food cold, and not to leave perishable dishes out for long periods, which is easy to forget when the game is close.

Keep an eye on the schedule

Games can be delayed, and a game that is close can run longer than planned. Build some slack into your timing so a long fourth quarter does not push dinner into the late evening. If you have guests traveling, tell them the kickoff times in your own time zone, because a listing may be in Eastern time.

The backyard game

Many families add a game of their own. The backyard "turkey bowl" is as traditional as the professional games in some neighborhoods, and it can be a good way to get everyone outside. A few rules of thumb make it safer and friendlier:

• Make it touch or flag. Tackling on a lawn is a recipe for injuries, particularly when players range from teenagers to grandparents who have not run in years.
• Warm up. Cold muscles and a heavy meal do not mix. Play before the feast, not after.
• Mix the teams. Balance the sides by age and ability, so no one feels left behind.
• Set a boundary. Pick the edges of the field and the end zones before the first snap, and agree on a time limit.
• Respect the yard. Mind the flower beds, the neighbors' fences and any hard objects.

Our article on backyard football games and rules has more ideas for rules that fit a mixed group. If anyone is injured, particularly with a blow to the head, stop the game and seek medical advice; do not rely on a quick rest and an attempt to return.

Traditions to start

If your family does not have a tradition yet, you can invent one. Here are some that families commonly build.

• A pick'em pool. Each person picks winners for the day's games, with a modest prize or bragging rights. Keep it friendly and keep any stakes small and legal where you live.
• A bracket of your own. Rank the dishes, the pies or the jokes.
• The first-pass rule. The person who picked the winning team gets first choice of dessert.
• A family quiz. A set of football trivia questions between games gives the non-fans a way in.
• A walk at halftime. A simple, low-key way to digest and talk.

The best traditions are the ones that include the people who are not interested in football. A holiday is about the table, and football is part of the soundtrack.

When the family disagrees about the game

It is common for relatives to root for different teams, and it can be a source of friendly teasing or of genuine heat. A few guidelines keep the peace. Agree in advance on a few ground rules about trash talk, and a signal for when it has gone far enough. Remember that the game is a few hours and the relationship is much longer. If a team is playing badly, let the fans of that team be disappointed without piling on. And if a rivalry game is on, give the fans of both teams a seat on the couch.

A word on safety and health

Holiday football often involves a lot of sitting, eating and sometimes drinking. A few small habits help: take breaks to move around, drink water, and have a plan for getting home safely if anyone has had alcohol. If you drive to see a game, allow extra time, since holiday travel is busy and weather can change plans.

The short version

• Football and Thanksgiving have been linked since the late 1800s, and the NFL's holiday games, college rivalry weekend and high school morning games are the three living versions of that tradition.
• Check the current schedule for kickoff times, since the number and timing of games is set each year and rivalry dates are decided by conferences and networks.
• Decide the shape of the day in advance, whether the game or the meal comes first, so no one is surprised.
• Make room for the people who do not care about football, with breaks, a second room or activities between games.
• Keep the backyard game to touch or flag, warm up first, and stop at once if anyone may have a head injury.
• Start small traditions that include everyone, like a pick'em pool, a family quiz or a halftime walk.