Thanksgiving 2012

There are certain times of the year, and certain days where it is very hard to be away from one's family as an American. One of those days is Thanksgiving. It is hard to describe to my loved ones in the United States, but it is hard to wake up on Thanksgiving in the holiday mindset, wanting to watch the Macy's day parade when it is simply just another day of the week for everyone around you. Instead of finishing up Thanksgiving baking whilst watching the parade streaming live on the TV, I got to spend the entirety of the day at the University, restraining myself from blurting out Happy Thanksgiving to everyone that passed my way.

This year my housemate Johanna and I decided that we would hold a Thanksgiving dinner at our house on the Saturday following the Thursday of Thanksgiving. So while I didn't get to have my Thanksgiving day full of traditions and family, that Saturday was full of great food and some of our closest friends. Everything was made from scratch and we had all the traditional foods including cornbread, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, assorted vegetables, stuffing, turkey, and of course four different types of pie.

 

I am so thankful to my friends who helped me celebrate, and of course to Johanna, who was utterly essential to the success of our dinner. With only two Americans in the house, it was exciting to explain some of our traditions and of course to eat great food. The purpose of Thanksgiving is to share with others, so in a way this Thanksgiving was more of a True Thanksgiving than before, though I did still miss the family banter around the table.  I am greatly thankful for all the people in my life, the relatives and friends, both near and far. Happy Thanksgiving!