Gather, Cook, and Give Thanks

People celebrate Thanksgiving in many different ways. Whether it’s running in a turkey trot, having fun at a fall festival, or just eating tacos for dinner, the holiday of giving and sharing brings people together. Thanksgiving is a time of new and old memories. Sometimes we may think of it as the day where families experience conflict or argue, but it can also be a time of joy and excitement for what is to come. To some, this holiday may be considered mundane or pointless. But to many, it is a time to break out the family china and listen to the stories of how grandma went to school with a celebrity. While Thanksgiving feels natural to us, it is not always a popular holiday in places outside of America. In other countries, Thanksgiving can seem gluttonous and foreign. But once those folks look at all the various meanings behind it, they might have a better grasp at understanding.

One of our very own teachers, Madame Field, is a testimony to this. She traveled to America from France and as soon as she learned about Thanksgiving, she quickly got on board. She noticed that it was a perfect reason to connect with family and friends. It seemed full of appealing feelings to her. It was almost like more families connected over Thanksgiving than Christmas. She said that the bigger cultural difference was that Christmas seemed to take the back seat to Thanksgiving. But in France, they do not celebrate Thanksgiving, so she did not have any holiday to equate it to. In France, multiple-course eating is normal. “An American Thanksgiving is like a normal everyday meal,” said Field. She became involved in the Thanksgiving dinner trend soon after, with French spinach cheese soufflé becoming a yearly tradition on her table. After wrapping up the discussion with her, she added, “It’s always wonderful to share a good meal together and with family.”

Thanksgiving is one of the few American holidays with no sky-high expectations for gifts or a deep perspective into a friend or family members’ desire to be known as more than just a name on a holiday card. It is a time of stressful preparation, good food, and football. We can view Thanksgiving as the one useful way to fill those pots Aunt Betty gave you a few years back, or as a time to order your favorite Chinese food. But on a deeper level, it is truly a time of comforting cuisine and warm hearts. As we welcome the upcoming holiday season, don’t let Thanksgiving pass by as another obligatory family dinner, but as a build up to the joy that winter will bring. Thanksgiving is made personal with family traditions and recipes, but also with the feeling that comes along with it. Our experience of this holiday is shaped by the people we surround ourselves with and how we make the most of the long, eventful day that is Thanksgiving. Before this wonderful time ends, remember to be thankful for what you have. Gratitude often has a way of bringing blessings into your life.