*Footnotes

Thanksgiving sounds the starting gun for holiday shopping, holiday movies, holiday jobs, holiday travel and, of course, holiday stress.

* The 10 days surrounding Thanksgiving Day traditionally comprise the busiest travel period of the year. U. S. airlines are expecting nearly 20 million passengers to travel by air this week, a record number that is 10% higher than last year’s total. The American Automobile Assn. predicts that 33.8 million Americans will take to the highways to travel 100 miles or more this holiday weekend, up slightly from last year’s 33.6 million.

* Today is traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year. Department stores, such as Robinsons-May and Macy’s, are still looking for “seasonal associates,” a euphemism for temporary employees, to help them handle the ensuing holiday crunch. Analysts project that 8.6 million households will shop on the Internet this year, spending about $4 billion, up from $1.1 billion two years ago.

* Holiday movies begin cropping up on television this week. “Jingle All the Way” (1996), starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, airs at 8 tonight on KABC-TV. “Home Alone” (1990), starring Macaulay Culkin and Joe Pesci, airs at 8 p.m. Saturday on KNBC-TV. A new version of “A Christmas Carol” starring Patrick Stewart premieres Dec. 5 on cable network TNT. TNT also plans a 24-hour marathon of “A Christmas Story” (1983), starring Darren McGavin and Peter Billingsley, starting at 8 p.m. Christmas Eve.

* Holiday blues can sometimes stem from unrealistic expectations. Viewing the holidays as a magical time for curing all problems will get you into trouble, says therapist Dorothy Cantor, former president of the American Psychological Assn. Try not to have an idealized vision of what you should be doing or spending. Don’t set yourself up to fail.

Thanksgiving not only means feasting. It means the traditional holiday season has arrived.*