Thanksgiving for the “Locals”

I know it’s nearly Christmas but indulge us with this delayed Turkey Day post.

Believe it or not, Thanksgiving seems to generate a lot of interest among non-Americans. Since we’ve been here, every year people we know ask us how and if we are celebrating. We don’t get this question about Christmas. So, there is something about Thanksgiving that apparently is intriguing. Whether it is the movies or television that has provoked this interest, this year we decided to share the traditions of American Thanksgiving with our friends here. They were practically begging us to host, so we agreed to do the whole shebang for the first time since we moved here. We haven’t done it before because we were either in the US or didn’t care enough, plus until this year we didn’t have a good oven.

Our friends Carlos & Ploy and Isra & Valeria came over on Thanksgiving Day. Carlos and Isra are Spaniards, Ploy is from Thailand, and Valeria is from Russia. None of them had ever experienced Thanksgiving before. So, we did the best we could to give them the full experience.

In addition to cooking the customary meal, we taught them how to draw a Turkey, the way all American school children learn to do – using your hand. So, everyone made their own turkey placemat. Jeff thought this was silly, but they loved it!

We put on some video of an NFL game, explaining that this is often the background noise for many Thanksgiving gatherings. We learned that Isra knows a good amount about American football and the NFL, and while the boys talked football, somehow the girls ended up chatting in the kitchen – some cultural norms are universal. We also explained how the US President pardons a turkey every year. They found this tradition to be strange, which it is.

After explanations and appetizers, we sat down to eat – turkey breast, stuffing, sweet potatoes, brussel sprout salad, cranberry relish, and dinner rolls (which were the only item that was store bought).

Everyone enjoyed seconds, and some even had a third plate, which to us signals it was a success. And, we even sent them home with leftovers – another excellent tradition followed.

While it was a lot of work, putting the feast together was a pleasant way to pass the time considering the COVID restrictions still in place. Home gatherings were and still are limited to 6 people, so we complied with that limitation and everyone left before the 10 p.m. curfew.

Sadly, there won’t be much to post about as we hunker down for the winter. The festivities for Santo Tomas (December 21) and La Tamborrada (January 20), the annual drum festival, were cancelled, and the options for celebrating Christmas, New Year’s and Tres Reyes have been severely restricted. Still, we hope to find small ways to celebrate and enjoy.

Sending our warmest wishes for a healthy and joyful holiday season,

Shana & Jeff