Giving Thanks

Something wonderful happens once 1 November rolls around, that is if you’re American. The countdown to Thanksgiving begins! At the end of three loooong weeks where the days get shorter and the light autumn air abruptly turns to winter, you know that on the third Thursday of the month, at 9am sharp, Al Roker will cut the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ribbon in Central Park and the holiday season will officially begin!

And Now We Give Thanks

I made the decision to stay in Amsterdam for Thanksgiving, and for the three weeks leading up to Turkey day, regretted it every single day. Thanksgiving is a family holiday. It’s a time when the emails actually stop, you reflect on the last year, you’re surrounded by family and friends, and you eat all of my favorite foods. However, it wasn’t until Thanksgiving that I realized I had made the right choice this year (not to be cliché or anything).

The Sunday before Thanksgiving I was invited to my friend Wren’s house for her ‘friendsgiving.’ Friendsgiving is becoming more and more popular as friends gather before the holiday for a potluck. She did an amazing job cooking two turkeys (!) and bringing together a big crowd of 22 expats and Dutch friends alike.

 

 

Turkey Time!

And then it was time for the big day. After unsuccessfully trying to find a weekend date to get together with a few colleagues for drinks due to crazy schedules – and hearing how they have never celebrated Thanksgiving – it hit me. Why don’t I make my own Thanksgiving and host some colleagues?

What started as a small conversation about grabbing drinks with 6 people quickly turned out to be an invite for the team, which is an absolutely amazing thing…if you are a confident turkey-cooker. As a complete novice, a slight panic started to sink in. I slowly transformed my table for 6-8 into a table for 13 and committed to cooking a full, proper Thanksgiving dinner.

 

 

 

Over the last year I’ve been getting more and more comfortable with the idea that it is ok to fail (thank you, Tara Rush). However, failure was not an option here. After all, how could I ruin the first Thanksgiving for all these people! So I did what any other terrified poultry cooker would do…I started small with a chicken to test out my tiny Dutch oven’s capacity to roast. Success! On to bigger and better.

I worked from home the afternoon of Thanksgiving. Big mistake. What should’ve been a [wo]man vs. bird moment became a [wo]man vs. bird vs. email/to do list situation. Lesson #1: cooking a turkey is not as simple as plopping it in the oven for 5 hours and turning your attention to something else, especially if you have a tiny Dutch oven that shuts off every 15-20 minutes.

Sometimes birds come with remnants of being…a bird. Lesson #2: when cooking a turkey, plucking off some feathers may be part of the experience. Just get over it. And you must season it. Thank God for Facebook and time differences, SOS texts messages to my mom, and friends who came to my rescue via social media to guide me thru the seasoning/cooking process.

 

 

 

 

Cooking the turkey to perfection is one thing. Carving the turkey is another. As the turkey was almost done, my guests started to arrive. Between apps and drinks, the final meal preparations were made. Including the carving of the bird. Lesson #3: You cannot should not carve a turkey with a bread knife. Thankful for a colleague who stepped in to help initially, and we’re both thankful for our colleague who then stepped in to actually carve the damn thing.

 

 

 

 

 

To accompany the turkey I made all my most favourite Thanksgiving sides: stuffing, sweet potatoes with marshmallows (imported from the U.S.), and mac and cheese. Colleagues brought mashed potatoes, corn bread, cranberry sauce, and salad to add to the mix. And let’s not forget dessert – brownies, and four pies…

 

 

 

 

 

Thirteen people, 7 dishes, 5 desserts and several bottles of beer and wine later, we had one proper Thanksgiving!

Before we sat down for the main course, I casually mentioned that we would take part in an American tradition: everyone would say what they are thankful for at the dinner table. The looks on my Dutch colleagues faces were priceless! So, that was quickly followed up by a “if you feel comfortable.” And, I’m pleased to say, by the end of the night, everyone had shared what they were thankful for. 1 point for the American.

While I may have been very far away from my family and friends, this Thanksgiving I couldn’t be more grateful and thankful for getting to spread the joy of Thanksgiving to those who have become my family in Amsterdam. And I decided to share that sentiment at 2am on social media. Lesson #3: stay off of social media after enjoying some fantastic wine on Thanksgiving.

I considered deleting the post, but after re-reading it several times, sappy or not, it truly sums up how I feel. And so, I am re-posting here (with some slight edits):

Each year I am reminded how much I have to be thankful for. My amazing family, loyal friends, my career, and so much more. Tonight, for only the second time in my life, I celebrated Thanksgiving with a different type of 'family.' Whether Dutch, French, Irish, South Korean or South African, I am thankful for this crew that I surround myself with each and every day in the Netherlands! I'm still trying to figure out how I got so lucky to find myself here and now with you all... Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving from Amsterdam!

As we head into the holiday season, these words still ring true. There’s nowhere else I'd rather be right now than here, and one thing I am thankful for in 2017 is finally learning how to slow down, stop worrying about the destination and to start enjoying the incredible journey that we call life.