Thanksgiving. Such an American holiday. The nearest thing you can get in Germany is Erntedankfest, but that's not the same. First, it's in October. Second, there's no big feast. Third, the family doesn't get together, because (fourth reason) it's mostly just a church holiday. We went to church, then came home and had a normal Sunday afternoon. Nothing at all like the whole hubaloo we've got in the good ol' USA. So where do you begin to explain this holiday to people who have nothing similar? And how do you begin to recreate this traditional holiday when nearly everything is All-American?
I guess I'd better start off with just explaining what we usually do in my family in Frankenmuth. Scott and I get up bright and early and go to St. Lorenz Church to play in the band. Mom, Dad, and Margie come, too, but we have to be there a while earlier, so we drive ourselves. Once the service is over, we all drive over to Grandma and Grandpa's. There, we have a huge Thanksgiving dinner, with all the trimmings. Turkey (of course), mashed potatoes (also a necessity), ham, and corn are just a few of the dishes you can always count on to show up.
Once we've all stuffed ourselves full, then we migrate to the livingroom and collapse on the couches. I mean, what would Thanksgiving be without the football game in the afternoon? Speaking of which, are the Lions playing this year on Thanksgiving? They usually do, I think... I hear that they're doing relatively well this year. Hahaha, for us fans that means that we've won a few of the games. : ) (A bit of humor that is unrelated-- today in school a girl asked me to explain the point of tackling in football. I basically just said that when one guy has the ball, everyone else just piles on top of him. I mean, isn't that just about it? Never really thought before about how pointless it sounds!) We spend the rest of the afternoon chatting and talking.
Now imagine that you're overseas. Here, a turkey is next to impossible to find. And even if I could find one, I really don't want to have to make one for the first time when I'm here, using all foreign ingredients and measurements. Mama made a casserole before, when they had a different exchange student from the US. And, to be honest, turkey isn't the number one thing on my list of things I'm craving right now, so I said that a casserole sounds great. Pumpkin pie? My host family tried it back then (with the other student), and didn't like it, so that's a no-go. So, it's gonna be brownies and chocolate cookies instead. Oh, and we're having Thanksgiving dinner on Friday evening and inviting neighbors over. Thursday (tomorrow) I am going with an American family from Haemelerwald to a huge Thanksgiving party in the area. Which should be fun! I've been craving some specific foods, and I wonder if they'll show up there (it's potluck style, so there's a good chance it might happen).
So, I'll be sure to keep my camera on hand and to take a lot of pictures for you! Then I'll write next time about how it all went over.
Right now my mind is stuck on Christmas, to be honest. Because everyone here is already talking about it. Since they lack Thanksgiving (and Sunday is already the first Advent), Christmas seems to come a whole lot earlier! And, tonight Mama talked with me a bit about the Klee's family traditions. I told a bit about how it's all done in my family. So, I think that Thanksgiving might hardly seem to exist for me; I'm already in Christmas mode! But that's not a problem, right? I mean, I hear that 96 WHNN is already playing all-Christmas music already! That means that " 'tis the season"! : ) Merry Christmas, y'all! Oh, wait, forgot about Thanksgiving again. Ah well, I can't help it.
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