What counts as a cousin walk?

The phrase describes a social situation more than a route or a length of time. In cannabis slang, the important part is a small group of relatives stepping away from the main gathering together. User-submitted definitions of “cousin walk” connect it with family events and smoking.

There is no official starting time. The familiar Thanksgiving version happens before the meal, but the expression is also used for other moments during a gathering. CNN’s November 26, 2025 broadcast discussed versions happening before festivities get underway, during a tense moment, or after dinner.

The name also leaves room for family variation. An adult sibling, partner, or family friend may be part of the group. You do not need to audit the family tree to understand the reference.

What the phrase does not tell you is equally useful: it cannot establish that a particular person uses cannabis. Someone reaching for a coat might simply want a quieter conversation.

Cousins’ walk, Thanksgiving walk, or safety meeting?

There is no official title. The Wall Street Journal’s November 2025 coverage lists “cousins walk,” “Thanksgiving walk,” and “pre-dinner safety meeting” among the names associated with the custom.

“Weed walk” is another descriptive phrase used in Leafly’s Thanksgiving coverage. Context matters more than the exact wording.

Where did the cousin walk come from?

Dated records show how the phrase circulated online, but none establishes when the real-world custom began or which family did it first.

1. November 28, 2019: An Urban Dictionary entry for “walk with the cousins” describes a Thanksgiving outing associated with smoking. It is evidence of the phrase’s use by that date, not proof that the activity began then.
2. November 23, 2021: The last-updated date on Leafly’s Thanksgiving marijuana walk article places its discussion of the custom and alternative names, including the safety meeting, in 2021. It establishes published coverage several years before the 2025 news cycle.
3. November 2023: Know Your Meme’s entry cataloged the phrase and examples of TikTok and other social-media jokes. Its archive shows the custom being represented online, rather than proving how many families practiced it.
4. November 2025: Coverage reached mainstream business and news outlets. Morning Brew’s November 22 report discussed the cousin walk and brands referencing it in holiday marketing.

The careful conclusion is that the phrase and the joke were circulating before their 2025 media attention. A precise origin date, a single inventor, and claims about how widespread the practice is remain unverified.

Why the cousin-walk memes are recognizable

The meme needs very little setup: a holiday house, a small group heading outside, and a return to the dinner table. The audience supplies the implied story. Know Your Meme’s archive documents this pattern in posts and comedy sketches.

Part of the humor is the exaggerated secrecy. Everyone behaves as though a routine announcement about fresh air requires an intelligence briefing. The “safety meeting” nickname pushes that contrast further by giving a casual break the language of official business.

The scene also captures something recognizable about growing up together: people who once shared the children’s table now catching up as adults, away from the main conversation.

The “older cousins” trope can make the walk look like a membership test. In real life, belonging should not depend on consuming anything. Adults can join the conversation, decline a product, or skip the outing without needing to explain themselves.

Is the cousin walk a Christmas tradition too?

Yes. Christmas usage is documented. A December 27, 2023 entry on Urban Dictionary’s cousin-walk page uses Christmas as its example. Because it is user-submitted slang, it shows that someone used the phrase that way; it is not a survey of holiday behavior.

There are published examples beyond the dictionary. PAPER’s December 24, 2025 playlist feature references the cousin walk in a Christmas Eve context. Morning Brew’s November 2025 report also described holiday advertising that referenced a similar walk before Christmas dinner.

The setting changes from one gathering to another: the food, the weather, the decorations, and which relatives are visiting. The meaning remains a shared break from the main event.

These examples show that “cousin walk” is not limited to Thanksgiving. They do not establish which holiday accounts for more of the activity.

Is a cousin walk the same as Danksgiving or Green Wednesday?

They are related references with different jobs:

• Cousin walk: A particular break or outing during a family gathering.
• Danksgiving: A broad name for Thanksgiving celebrations involving cannabis.
• Green Wednesday: The cannabis shopping occasion on the Wednesday before U.S. Thanksgiving.

CNN’s 2025 holiday reporting discusses these connected cultural and retail themes. A cousin walk might be one part of someone’s Danksgiving, but it is not another name for a shopping day.

For more detail on those distinctions, continue with the holiday traditions explained in our broader guide.

Keeping the gathering comfortable for everyone

The joke can stay light without making the host, non-consuming relatives, or younger family members responsible for someone else’s plans.

• Respect the host’s answer. Ask what is welcome, and accept a no without negotiating around it.
• Make participation optional. An invitation to spend time together should not require consuming cannabis or sharing a mouthpiece.
• Keep private moments private. Ask before taking photos, posting clips, or identifying relatives in a cannabis-related caption.
• Keep responsibilities covered. Do not leave the host with all the cooking, cleanup, or caregiving while everyone else disappears.

Going outside does not settle the legal question

Check the current rules where the gathering takes place. As one jurisdiction-specific example, California’s Department of Cannabis Control distinguishes permitted use on private property from restrictions on public use and notes that property owners can prohibit use. Do not assume an ordinary sidewalk or park becomes an allowed consumption space because the outing has a nickname.

Plan the ride and keep products separate from the meal

The CDC warns that cannabis can impair driving and that combining it with alcohol can increase impairment. Arrange a sober driver or another sober ride rather than treating the walk as evidence that someone is ready to drive.

If edibles are present, clearly identify them and keep them separate from ordinary food. The CDC notes that edible effects can be delayed and recommends locked storage away from children and pets. Never surprise a guest with an infused dish.

Does “cousin walk” tell you whether someone is using THC or CBD?

No. Slang describes the social situation, not the contents of a product. The CDC explains that CBD itself does not cause a high, while also warning that products labeled hemp or CBD can contain THC and that CBD use is not risk-free.

For example, Green Nursery lists Hawaiian Haze CBD hemp flower as a CBD flower product. Its name should not replace reading the current product information and matching batch lab report. “Hemp” is not a blanket guarantee of no impairment, suitability for a particular person, or legality in every location.

You also do not need a substitute product to justify joining a walk. Wanting the conversation is enough.

Frequently asked questions about the cousin walk

What does “going on a walk with the cousins” mean?

In holiday cannabis slang, it often means relatives stepping away from the gathering to smoke together. It can also mean exactly what it says. The phrase alone does not establish that anyone is using cannabis.

Is it called a cousin walk or a cousins’ walk?

Both forms appear in use, along with “walk with the cousins.” There is no official name or governing set of rules. They generally refer to the same family-gathering custom.

Is the Thanksgiving safety meeting the same thing?

It can be. “Pre-dinner safety meeting” is a joking alternative name for the cannabis break associated with the cousin walk. In this context, the word “safety” does not describe the health effects of cannabis.

Did TikTok invent the cousin walk?

The available sources do not establish that. A dated slang entry appears in 2019, Leafly discussed the custom in 2021, and later meme archives document its online spread. These records cannot identify the first real-world outing.

Does it happen before or after dinner?

Both versions are described in coverage of the custom. Before Thanksgiving dinner is a familiar setup, but there is no required schedule, route, or duration.

Can someone who does not smoke join?

Yes. Spending time with relatives should not depend on cannabis use. Be clear about what the outing involves, welcome people who decline, and respect anyone who wants to avoid smoke entirely.