My Favorite Holiday

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. In my opinion, it has nothing on Christmas, well except for the whole reason we celebrate Christmas – yeah, that is super important. The reason I love Thanksgiving so much is not for the pumpkin pie, football or days off from work, which don’t get me wrong are totally awesome! I love Thanksgiving because that is when my side of the family gets together for a week of nothing but relaxing, mom’s home cooking and a chance to reconnect with my parents and siblings away from the stresses of everyday life. 

Every other year we celebrate Thanksgiving by spending a week together in the Outer Banks. OBX is my happy place – the place I can honestly say I am the most relaxed. Nothing gets better than the ocean during the fall – long walks, no crowds, sweatshirt weather – it is perfect. Well this year, some of my family had a Manhattan Thanksgiving (yes, I am still a little bitter so let’s not talk about it) while others spent turkey day with friends and family across the country. I was a little bummed when I woke up Thursday morning, but it turned out to be a GREAT Thanksgiving.

First, God blessed us with a gorgeous sunrise. The picture isn’t the best, but when Tim and I sat down for our morning coffee and opened the curtains, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was outside. No smog – pure bliss! Thank you, Jesus!

There are a bunch of Americans and students who studied in America in Tim’s program and a few of them organized a Thanksgiving dinner. They had class all day, so we didn’t eat till later, but it was totally worth it! 

From the turkey to the sweet potatoes, all of the America classics were present, including pumpkin pie! I even made an apple crisp in my crockpot thanks to my genius mother – I seriously think no one cooks from scratch anymore! Half the recipes I found required boxed this and canned that! Thankfully it all worked out in the end! 

Although I helped make the dinner, I was extra thankful I didn’t have to clean up! Dishes for 20+ people take a long time and I was in a food coma after we were finished!

I know from the last time that I lived in China that the holidays can be tough when you are away from family, but I certainly am thankful for new friends and the memories that come with it and for the experiences I get to share with my goose!