My family on Christmas

My American Thanksgiving was a truly wonderful experience and gave me a glimpse into what the holiday means for Americans and those living in America. I was privileged to have two Thanksgiving feasts with all the traditional foods, turkey, apple pie, green bean casserole, and the works! The first was at my church the week of Thanksgiving where the whole church sat down for a meal cooked by the ladies’ group. The second was a more intimate affair with my pastor and his family in their home.

What I loved about the Thanksgiving holiday:

• Turkey and apple pie are wonderful foods; either I ate food made by really good cooks or I just love food, but I am thinking it’s the cooks. The overindulgence of Thanksgiving is quite enjoyable and the truth is you can’t help but be overstuffed after digging into a lavish Thanksgiving feast!

• The significance of sharing with those without, including people far from homes or their families, is the best part of the holiday. Communities, churches and individuals don’t just make a huge meal and eat on their own, in a way they seek out those with whom they may share with so that the true meaning of the holiday is celebrated. I remember seeing multiple signs at churches for free thanksgiving dinners to all.

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A year ago during Thanksgiving week, I was browsing the internet and randomly came across a recipe for the holiday’s most famous dish: roasted turkey. I went through the ingredients and the instructions, and after a few minutes of deliberation in my adventurous mind I decided to attempt cooking this legendary meal.

I have always loved cooking, and I never understand when people say they can’t cook. I mean, we can all read instructions and follow them, right? As long as I have a recipe, nothing can stop me. So I had no worries about attempting my first Thanksgiving turkey. Normally I try to have everything prepared and thought out ahead of time, but I wanted to cook my turkey as fresh as possible, so I decided to buy it on the very day of Thanksgiving. But little did I know…

On the fateful day of Thursday, November 24th, 2011 I slept in excessively late, enjoying my holiday break, and around 6pm my brother and I took off – driving – for “HEB,” a popular grocery store in Texas. We turned into the empty parking lot of the supermarket and made our way to the entrance, only to find that the store had closed at 3pm because of the holiday. I was not expecting this at all, but I was not giving up.

We drove to “La Michoacana,” a Mexican meat market we frequently visit. It was open, but when we got inside, the butcher informed us that he had no more turkeys left. Yikes!

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It has been around three months since I arrived in the United States, and I’m still always excited to experience new things, especially those exclusive to America, adding to my long list of firsts. Last week, my new first was celebrating Thanksgiving in the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina.

Sullivan Island

On the beautiful Thanksgiving morning, my friends and I headed to a sunny, cold beach on Sullivan’s Island. Away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, we relaxed and hung out on the beach, a rather unusual way to kick off Thanksgiving.

It was our excuse to try something different before each of us headed off for our more standard celebrations. We took advantage of the strong wind that morning by flying kites, while munching on snacks along the way, among other things.

Later that day I embarked on my first traditional American Thanksgiving meal. I had the pleasure of joining my friend Orlin and his family, along with another friend.

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The traditional Thanksgiving turkey (Photo: Food Network)

The fourth Thursday of November is the American holiday of Thanksgiving.  It’s one of America’s most deeply-held national traditions, and one that we love to show off to foreign students.  A day to eat good food in the company of loved ones and give thanks for what we have – what could be nicer?

But Thanksgiving has developed a whole bunch of other traditions around it that don’t make quite as much sense. Here are some of the weirdest things that happen on American Thanksgiving:

1) Christmas starts

Thoughts from one week of holiday celebrations:

Wednesday, December 01
The most difficult part of my college experience is being an international student.

My friends are anxiously marking days off their calendars in joyful anticipation of celebrating the end of year with their families.  Everywhere I turn, decorations have been hung up high in preparation for the festive season – like these ones, in Yale’s Silliman Dining Hall.

Lately, even the smile of a stranger on the street just reminds me that I will be celebrating my first Christmas away from home.

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Lawrence, Kansas, a town of about 90,000 people, about a third of whom are students at The University of Kansas (KU), has become now my second home. After four months living here I have become used to everything around, from the crazy Kansan weather that changes from 60 to almost 20 degrees in the same day, to the people, fellow students and the city itself. After overcoming the cultural shock, looking with a positive view at the differences, and enjoying the whole new atmosphere, I ended up getting so used to this town that I thought it couldn’t surprise me anymore. But I was wrong.

On November 26, the day after Thanksgiving, the city turned its lights on to embrace the Christmas spirit – a month in advance!

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In honor of Thanksgiving, this week’s Question of the Week was about holidays. We asked what it’s like to celebrate American holidays, like Thanksgiving, in the States, and this post (part 1) is all about Thanksgiving and how to find your own meaning in a holiday that feels so American.

We also wanted to know what holiday traditions from home you would miss the most if you came to study in the U.S. Part 2 looks at what it’s like to be far from friends, family and your own holiday traditions.

Celebrating American Holidays

Nick writes:

“Four years ago, during my exchange year at a high school in America, I stayed with an American family. This was my entry way to an amazing experience with the American holidays. My host family celebrates quite extensively in most major holidays such as Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas. I can never forget the eagerness from all the egg-hunters in the family on Easter day, or the delicious Thanksgiving meal my host mom had planned for weeks, or the dazzling Christmas tree whose base was covered with gift-boxes. I was swayed, not by the iridescence of the holidays but rather by the joyful spiritualism that transcends into the fun and happiness everyone experiences. Most importantly, I love how the holidays pull family members together to spend time with each other, marking the happiest moments of their lives.

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Only one of us is in costume. (Photo courtesy Elaine Fortuna)

I first arrived in the U.S. in mid-October, so I was almost immediately swept away by Halloween, followed soon by Thanksgiving. By “swept away” I mean, for the most part, “exposed to advertisements and merchandising.”

Yeah, I guess the commercialization of holidays in the U.S. drew the most direct reaction from me – especially how shops start selling Christmas- or Valentine’s Day-related items an entire month in advance.

But what about the holidays themselves? I knew about them, of course, and I always had a soft spot for Halloween, having seen fun times related to it on TV or in the movies. The traditional meaning behind it appealed to me as well –the idea of facing death, having children come to terms with mortality, and perhaps being exposed to certain spiritual (or what some would call supernatural) aspects of human life.

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