For Amerricans, happy Thanksgiving!

AMH

Hi all American types, and those who like our holiday. I am getting things together to go to my brother's in-laws for the day. Mixed feelings, so much to be thankful for and still don't want an entire day around these folks. Nice enough people but the differences in their relatively easy good income and my extended struggle, plus working on NOT being in those entrenched family roles, I am already tired. I am going to find some crochet to bring along to get through it all. Too much on my mind today, really.

Okay re-focus on the lovely vegie tray I am bringing with many colors and tasty dip, I am more looking forward to Saturday's vegan holiday feast with good friends.

AMH

its not working, I have never been depressed at the holidays but there is a first time for everything

genkaku

Be grateful, be thankful and...

Don't be a turkey!

AMH

Ahh, I will not be a turkey!

MindGate

Just eat turkey.

compassionate_warrior

Try to just relax (meditate in the car before going into the lions' den, if necessary) and enjoy the meal. If someone hands you emotional bait, don't take it. Respond from a place of calm, and centered maturity. Breathe. Think positive. If you fret your whole way out there, you'll only arrive stressed.

Tosh

Don't forget there's also two very special people who share a birthday on American Thanksgiving day.

The 1st is Bill Williams, who was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (the best thing to emerge from the US).

And the 2nd is me!

AMH

Well Tosh, happy birthday and that is a great reason to be happy today.

We had a nice time, this one lady spent a lot of time talking to my interesting kids. Tamarin has started dreads with fake hair braided into her mowhawk. Then they were also interested in my son's school (school of the arts). Which meant a little less attention on me, good. There is one nice lady who supervises student teachers for a university and I am the teacher without a job, it was okay.

The weirdest thing was just listening to what people talk about, I know they are totally nice and normal but it was odd to me. At least 2 times people asked me something and I just said 'no' without any explanation. After a pause i said something to move things along (like the do you like twilight, which I consider an abomination to real literature, so I said no and then talked about my daughter working at a movie theatre for twilight movies). Guess sometimes the social skills are affected by all this.

All food was tasty, plentiful and people nice. Now can I sit on my cushion in a cave please.

Jeffrey

I had a good time. Sat with my dad who is recovering from hip surgery. Watched the dog show and after that saw the Detroit Lions get beat by the Greenbay Packers Then made my new tradition? of sauteed apples with raisin/cinammon sugar/toasted pecan

Then ate. Then watched tennis with my brother while everyone else played pokeno a card game.

I am thankful my dad is ok after surgery. I am thankful my brother and I worked out some details of our relationship, how we relate together as brothers.. mental stuff. Thankful the step family is really nice, good company.

ThailandTom

What exactly do you guys celebrate on this day? What are you thankful for? Why is it only subject to one day? Is it highly capitialized?

compassionate_warrior

Thanksgiving is an annual Harvest festival. Most cultures have them. Everyone gives thanks for a bountiful harvest. In the case of the US, because the colonies were only just beginning, and communities were small and at risk of starving (they had a difficult time adapting to the new land), the Native people showed them how to raise turkeys, corn, squash, and other food the foreigners weren't familiar with, and would sell them food when they had any to spare. My vague recollection is that the first Thanksgiving in the US was facilitated by donations of food by one of the local tribes, so the colonists were thankful, indeed. They would have starved without help.

Gui

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is the name of our harvest feast. The crops are all in and it's the beginning of hunkering down for the coming winter. There is the American story of the "first" Thanksgiving where English colonialists who were near starvation were saved by native Americans who brought food to them and shared their bounty. It has evolved into a day of giving thanks for our fortune and family. Families travel great distances to be together and eat together. There is no gift giving and, at least in my family, the tradition of men falling asleep after dinner on couches and chairs in front of televised football games.

AMH

Gui we also celebrate by the males of the species sleeping in lounge chairs in front of football after eating much turkey.

The menu is traditionally a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, a green bean casserole with french fried onions on top, some form of sweet potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin pie. There are many varieations on these food that include things that are family favorites and foods that are fall harvest focused. So in my vegies years I made stuffed squash (the one year of tofurky was not good), I stil make the same vegan gravy. We basically had the whole meal except a turkey.

Hey Compassionate, my brother came over today with some tools and helped me with a table I wanted to use in the kitchen but i didn't have support for the drop leaves. We made it with both sides up permanently and he took home a peice to fashion in his shop so eventually i can put sides up and down. very cool, he lives in Iowa so I don't see him much.

Dakini

the tradition of men falling asleep after dinner on couches and chairs in front of televised football games.

haha! I hadn't heard of that tradition! Usually, Thanksgiving is about the extended family gathering together and catching up on news, and visiting. I guess my clan wasn't into sports.

Congrats, AHeerdt, on getting through the event fairly equanimously. Now you can start building positivie associations with it, so that next year you can think of how easily it went this year, rather than stressing about all the other times it didn't go as well.