AUGUSTA, Ga. - With Thanksgiving and the formal launch of the holiday shopping season this week, Americans will again gather for Turkey Day meals before knocking off items on their Christmas gift lists.

Most big U.S. retailers are closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Georgia leads U.S. in cooking fires, so beware on Thanksgiving

Georgia leads U.S. in cooking fires, which peak on Thanksgiving Day. So local cooks face extra danger this week.

However, many will open early the following day, Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday gift-buying season and one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

Here’s what is open and closed this Thanksgiving, along with a travel forecast from the experts at AAA auto club.

Government buildings

Government offices, post offices, courts and schools ar

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