Thanksgiving with Friends

This year I had a few extra vacation days that I needed to use before the end of the year, so I took a long weekend off of work in order to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was nice to have a day off, and I spent some time preparing for a big meal in the evening with friends. Though of course Alex cooked the meal without much input from me, I cleaned up a bit and brought some things back from the store.

The children and I had taken some time Wednesday to do some Thanksgiving crafts. I bought some colored paper and silly eyes that can be glued on, and we made little turkeys. Miriam is quite good at creative arts, and after just watching a video of a craft, she can pretty much duplicate the whole thing. I showed the children a wreath made of a cardboard ring with leaves of colored paper glued on, and she made that herself from a cereal box and colored paper. Each leaf had something she was thankful for.

When it came time for Thanksgiving dinner, Alex had outdone herself yet again. She prepared a whole chicken as well as wings, as well as a sweet potato dish, some seafood, and various other things which completely filled the table. I enjoyed talking with friends from church that we have not spoken to in some time. We caught up over the latest news, and discussed their upcoming move to Switzerland.

The children of all our families played together, running all over the house and enjoying themselves quite noisily. After the dinner, Miriam showed the other kids how to make a pilgrim hat out of colored paper. There must have been at least eight children in total, making for a lively night.

I myself enjoyed getting the fire going earlier in the day to create a warm space for our meal. It’s nice to host people and fill up our large dining space with everyone. We brought up an extra table for the children.

Though Thanksgiving is an American holiday, it is one many of our French friends appreciate for its simplicity and relatability. We all have things to be thankful for, including each other, and we all enjoy sharing a meal together. Each year, Alex tells me that this year she won’t have time to prepare anything for Thanksgiving. And each year, she decides that actually she would like to celebrate with friends, even though it is a lot of work. I’m hopeful that we will do the same again next year.