I never, ever, ever shop on black Friday. Not me.
Thanksgiving is just a really cool holiday steeped in tradition. It was started by the pilgrims in order to give thanks for the Lord's provision after a really rough start in the colony. They invited local Indians to come and share in the feast. It has since morphed into pretty much what JoJo has said. In the tradition of having guests, we've always had family and friends in to share our Thanksgiving meal. In our house, we start the meal off with a prayer in which everyone voices to the Lord something they are thankful for for the year. A turkey dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, and pumpkin pie and other side dishes are all necessary for the proper observation of the holiday. Then watching football, playing board games, and just having fun after the meal. Then, the best Thanksgiving day tradition of all, the first Turkey sandwich later on when one becomes a bit peckish again. I'm very traditional when it comes to the turkey sandwich. I like it on white bread with lots of mayo, piled with both white and dark meat, and washed down with cold milk. Others like to dress up their turkey sandwich, but I stick with the basic.
And, as JoJo mentioned, Thanksgiving also is supposed to be the start of the Christmas holiday season. I hate it when I hear Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but boy, after Thanksgiving it's all Christmas music all the time. I pull out all the family favorite Christmas movies (A Christmas Story being the all-time favorite). I never, ever go shopping on black Friday. I decorate the house for Christmas instead. Except for the tree. We usually don't get a tree until later in December.
So what, with the over-eating of plentiful and fattening foods, Football, shopping and Christmas craziness, yep, Thanksgiving is uniquely American.
Nick, I think you're at a disadvantage being in Australia. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a holiday for Fall, when the harvest is in and the days are getting cold and crisp. I don't think I could stomach a complete Turkey Dinner with stuffing and all the trimmings when it's 95 degrees outside. Thanksgiving is supposed to be cozy. There is nothing cozy about 95 degree temperatures, especially if one is making a huge meal over a hot stove.