this is what I'm thankful for

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I think maybe because it's such a simple concept: here's day, let's cancel school and work, get families together and spend the day eating and drinking. Fabulous! There's no pressure of presents, no extreme decoration necessary, no other expectations than spending time with family and friends and enjoying good food and good company. 

This year marks my second Thanksgiving in a row and third one ever that I haven't been home to celebrate. But doing Thanksgiving abroad isn't as depressing as it sounds - I've found it can be quite great to celebrate with other displaced Americans and also with non-Americans who've never had a Thanksgiving before. 

And since I've had some pretty great Thanksgivings throughout my years, I thought I'd share my 5 favorite Thanksgiving memories

Cooking my First Turkey
Thanksgiving 2010 - Forchheim, Germany

Now this wasn't really me at my best, but last year, when Gemma and I hosted the ETA Thanksgiving potluck, we were in charge of the Turkey. And as I didn't actually have to work on Thanksgiving, I was responsible for prepping the bird. Yes, that meant pulling the neck and giblets out from the inside. Unfortunately, Gemma and I forgot to plan ahead and allow enough time for the turkey to thaw completely. So not only did I get stick my hand up a turkey, I had to fight with a turkey popsicle for about 30 min before successfully removing all the bits and pieces. So maybe this wasn't so much a favorite memory as much as just unavoidable memorable. And that turkey actually tasted pretty good!

Shahida's Thanksgiving Visit
Thanksgiving 2008 - Charleston, South Carolina

I loved having Shahida come experience my favorite holiday with my entire family! It was great to include her on the all the family games and traditions - including the annual day after Thanksgiving dinner at a mexican restaurant (and the ensuing margaritas). 


My First Franken Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving 2007 - Bamberg, Germany

What's that?! I was in Franken before I lived there?! Why yes, during my year in Switzerland I spent Thanksgiving up in Bamberg with Kristen who was doing her year abroad there (remember?). It was that Thanksgiving that I learned the magical powers Bamberg has to ensure every visit is amazingly fun. That Thanksgiving is always recalled with Kristen and I get together. 

The First Thanksgiving Re-enactment 
Thanksgiving 2010 - Forchheim, Germany

Another memory from last year. What can I say, it was just that good! Since it was Gemma's first Thanksgiving, I decided we should really make sure that she understood the meaning behind this most American of holidays. And as she was a British settler and I was a native of America, the roles were already set. Our rendition of the First Thanksgiving is on it's way to becoming a holiday classic. And the original Mayflower used in the video is still up for viewing at Hotel Baptistella. 

The Turkey Trot
Thanksgiving 2006 - Charleston, South Carolina

This is not only - hands down - my favorite Thanksgiving memory, but probably the one I'm most proud of! It all started when our family signed up to run the Charleston Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning. Well, if there are two things that don't sit well with my family, it's getting up early for a race and running races at all. The night before Thanksgiving we discovered some pretty great Halloween costumes at my aunt's house. So AJ and I pulled out the most ridiculous two we could find and decided add a little excitement to the Turkey Trot. Even though we showed up about 20 minutes after the race started and cheated with short cuts the whole way through, AJ and I were honored during the award ceremony for Best Costumes (a category I'm pretty sure was created just for us about 5 minutes before we won) and even made it into the local paper the next day. 


I hope every one celebrating has an amazing Thanksgiving!