Not to depress you on Thanksgiving Day or anything, but the cost of that turkey dinner is up by six percent over last year. The American Farm Bureau Federation conducted its 23rd annual cost survey, reported on Meatingplace.com. The survey found that the price tag of a Thanksgiving meal served to family of 10 this year will be about $44.61 on average, up $2.35 cents from last year’s average price of $42.26.

Blame the turkey – the average price of a 16-pound turkey is $19.09, or $1.19 per pound, which is an increase of 9 cents per pound compared to 2007.

And, don’t count on any help in the way of a corporate thank you. A separate survey shows that the tradition of giving holiday turkeys to employees is now practically defunct. A survey of workplace trends that was reported in the New York Times claims the poultry gift was declining even before the current economic woes, but the latest Wall Street position has all buy ended the tradition.

The research by the Bureau of National Affairs found only three percent of employers in the United States plan to give turkeys to their workers this year, half as many as last year, although more said they’d give food gift certificates.