Thanksgiving in Massachusetts Will Include Biden But Not Baker

Massachusetts will be without Governor Charlie Baker for Thanksgiving, but President Joe Biden will be here.

Republican Baker, who opted against seeking a third term as governor, hit the road with First Lady Lauren Cardy Schadt Baker for a weeklong Thanksgiving family vacation in Ireland.

The Bakers departed Logan International Airport in Boston for Dublin on Saturday night.

Ireland is an interesting holiday destination since neither Baker is Irish. In fact, Governor Charlie is of English ancestry.

Thanksgiving is strictly an American holiday and not observed in Ireland – or England, for that matter. Nor are turkeys native to the Emerald Isle. Irish Fowl.com doubts wild turkeys could even survive in Ireland.

Turkeys are native to North America.

There is a turkey industry in Ireland where the birds are grown in captivity for dinner tables in Ireland and England. Turkey has become common at Christmastime across the pond, although the Irish Mirror reported bird flu could result in a shortage of turkeys overseas this year.

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While the Bakers celebrate Thanksgiving in a nation that doesn't observe Thanksgiving, outgoing Republican Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, who now resides at least part-time in Padanaram, will be swiveling in the big chair.

The Bakers may be out of Massachusetts for Thanksgiving, but Joe Biden will be here instead. The State House News Service reported Biden and his wife Jill will spend the holiday with friends on Nantucket.

"The commander-in-chief and his family traditionally spend Thanksgiving on Nantucket and are planning to do so again this year," SHNS reported.

The White House said Biden will return to the nation's capital on Sunday.