Anticipating Thanksgiving
By now, I expect you are aware of my German heritage, so, understandably, Thanksgiving is not a holiday I grew up observing in Europe. Of course, I love to host dinner parties and gatherings of family and friends, and am happy to have any opportunity to do so. I love the whole process from the planning and preparation, decorating, to the subsequent enjoyment of good company, good food and good wine. And espresso!
Celebrating Thanksgiving, however, starts, fundamentally, with honoring the traditions of the country I have chosen to live in and make my home.
My family is quite ethnically and culturally diverse, so Thanksgiving is also a lovely opportunity for celebrating all that we are thankful for beyond the specific observances of religious holidays. Of course, when hosting, I will do my best to accommodate various family idiosyncrasies, such as cooking a halal turkey, providing vegetarian options, and including certain signature favorites like paté and aioli and hot pepper relish.
Thanksgiving is not unlike Great Britain's Harvest Festival, which dates back to pagan eras, and serves as an observance of gratitude for a bountiful harvest season. In more recent times, local churches and service organizations would harvest fruit from people's orchards, and collect cans of food and various foodstuff donations for distribution to the poor. Harvest Festival is traditionally a great family day, as well. No surprise the early American settlers found inspiration in the celebrations of their native Britain, and observed their Thanksgiving after a long season of work, building community, and learning how to prosper from the produce of their new land.
Culturally speaking, harvest celebrations abound the world over. Harvest is observed in West Africa, Asia, including Korea, Japan, China and Vietnam, India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Canada, Barbados, Argentina, parts of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, throughout Europe and parts of Russia, as well as the United States. The times of year may vary, as well as the particulars of celebration, but the underlying idea of expressing thanks is fairly consistent among all of them.
Consequently, it seems universally natural and right and unifying to celebrate gratitude. Even though our gathering is varied and culturally mixed, and comes from all over the place, we feel Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity to get together with family and friends to reflect on the many blessings we enjoy, and to acknowledge the fortunate turn of events over time that brought our family and community of friends together.
To underscore that feeling, we really make an effort to disconnect from technology and focus on family and friend time only - no computers, no television. We light a fire in the fireplace, sit together, talk and catch up, play board games, go for a walk down to the lake near our house, and generally enjoy an unplugged atmosphere.
Expressing gratitude is important, and fundamental to real contentment, regardless of where you are. On Thanksgiving, I hope that you find comforting ways to celebrate and make the holiday your own. Just remember Thanksgiving is not about expectation or perfection….it's about retrospection and reflection. I wish you a pleasant Thanksgiving season.
About the Author
Though a young country by world standards, America is rich with its own sense of tradition, patriotism, history and art. It remains a land of opportunity and varied charms...not to mention skilled craftspeople and artisans! From Art Deco to garden delights and patriotic textiles, Americana is synonymous with pride and welcome. Visit http://www.globalhomeaccents.com/ for a patriotic choice.
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