Saturday, November 21, 2009

We Give Thanks



Thanksgiving is something people in the UK just don't get. This is understandable, as the whole concept is giving thanks for a harvest which allowed pilgrims to survive on their own WITHOUT the British empire. To British people, Thanksgiving means a turkey roast dinner without roast potatoes or yorkshire puddings.

To an American, Thanksgiving usually means family,canned Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, Zeigler's apple cider, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and commencement of Christmas movies. Or at least it does to me.

This year there will be no canned cranberry sauce and what's left of my family is almost 3,000 miles away. It's times like these that I miss my mom with every fiber of my being. I miss waking up to turkey smells in the morning, my mom's homemade turkey gravy and the day-after-thankgiving turkey soup. I miss drinking coffee on the back porch with her and fighting over what has to be done. I miss her complaining about how my sister never stayed long enough for dinner. Some things aren't the same without my mom around.

I am lucky though, I have a great mother-in-law who makes an effort to do Thanksgiving dinner for me every year. Because we are all at work, it'll be shop bought turkey loin things that just need to shoved in the oven. But it's the thought that counts.

I'm bringing some of the pseudo-Southern charm to the table (I am really from Florida afterall) and making sweet potato casserole and Nigella's version of corn souffle.

Being an expat means bringing a little bit of home to your new life. Though sometimes, I wish I could just catch a plane and be home again.

5 comments:

Ms B. Thrift said...

Hey sweetie, i can only imagine all the things I would miss about the UK if i lived away especially during Christmas. I think the concept of Thanksgiving would have made more sense decades ago when the Harvest festival was more celebrated here, especially in the countryside. It's a brilliant concept and should be embraced more over here imho. I'm sorry these types of celebrations always continue to have a bitter sweet connotation for you, it must be incredibly difficult missing home but especially your Mom. I knw your MIL tries hard to take care of you though, bless her. Hope you all have a nice family celebration this week huny xxx

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