What I Love About
Thanksgiving
Audrey Costa
Thanksgiving is not just a dinner consisting of succulent turkey , flavorful stuffing , and killer pumpkin pie . It ’ s a time family and friends come together to give thanks for blessings bestowed upon them . Ok , now that the Hallmark flowery depiction has been said , let ’ s talk realness . It ’ s about FOOD . It ’ s about a smorgasbord of delights , arguing until someone ’ s blood pressure peaks , punting a football at your cousin ’ s head out of love , competitive sports , and over-the-top parades .
It ’ s also the busiest travel day of the year . A good portion of Americans commute for the sake of togetherness . Most families follow traditional Thanksgiving Day protocol , but I always love when people find a way to incorporate elements that reflect their uniqueness . I want to know how people live , how they commemorate the gathering of Pilgrims and Native Americans with a spirit of gratitude . Thanksgiving wouldn ’ t be Thanksgiving without food . Oh yes , the classic Thanksgiving Day menu ; a bird , taters , green bean casserole , and anything your heart desires from the pumpkin category . But I just love when people find a way to do it differently . Thanksgiving can be a time to mix dishes from one ’ s culture or heritage in with your traditional Thanksgiving fare . Kimchi instead of corn , challah bread instead of buttered rolls , or tofu instead of turkey . Thanksgiving tables can look all too familiar – try to find ways to make yours you .
My family is straight off the boat from Turkey – the country , not the 25 pounder Grandpa is picking at in the kitchen . So , our Thanksgiving consisted of traditional American and Turkish foods like borek ( flaky phyllo dough stuffed with cheese ), and fasoulia ( Turkish style green beans with oil and tomatoes ). Heaping plates of tender legs and breasts ( insert adolescent joke here ), cranberry sauce , corn bread , and all the other sides . What a glorious , caloriepacked day ! And then there were PIES ! Not cake , not cookies , pies ! Chocolate mousse pie , peanut butter pie , apple pie , lemon meringue , and of course pumpkin ! The good Lord knows how easily I can demolish an entire pumpkin pie one miniscule slice at a time ( I ’ m pretty sure the calories don ’ t count if the bites are small enough ). And if you had unattended crust on your plate … well , let ’ s just say the dog got framed a lot .
What Turkey Day lovers do when they ’ re not eating varies wildly . Some families dedicate themselves to serving the hungry or delivering food to those who cannot do for themselves . Others play a serious game of football … and watch football … and talk about football . My husband ’ s family plays board games like Taboo until they end up screaming at each other at the top of their lungs . To each their own ! People find their ways to show both love and loathing on Thanksgiving . Whether you ’ re having an intimate family day , or a huge gathering of friends and family , make sure to have fun and enjoy yourselves ! The food might bring everyone together , but the time spent with each other is what brings out the thankfulness we ’ re celebrating .
My most favorite thing to do is watch The Macy ’ s Day Parade . I grew up in Manhattan and just around the corner of my building was where the parade would come through . Every year , no matter how we felt , we were there . It ’ s magical really , seeing the huge balloons floating by one by one – Snoopy , Spiderman , SpongeBob … the list keeps inflating ! I love the music and commentary in the background while cooking , and seeing the celebrities we like lip sync their latest hit on random floats . The floats !!! I love ‘ em . Macy ’ s Day Parade is solid , all I ’ m saying . And that ’ s my tradition – watching the parade with my daughter and watching her experience the same sense of joy . It just fills me up with gratitude for life .
No matter the differences in our style of celebrating , we are all fundamentally showing our gratitude for something or someone . The essence of Thanksgiving is a joy and gratitude I wish lasted forever , but life can suck it out of us . We forget how lucky we are every day . Having the people we love together , hearing their stories and jokes , and seeing all we have to be appreciative of creates a natural gratitude .
Some families have toasts and others say prayers giving thanks that life honestly isn ’ t so bad – and holy smokes , we lucked out ! We have it good so we should share that with others . Friends , family , and the community - including the less fortunate . And if you ’ re alone or your in-laws are debating the rules of Taboo at 100 decibels , being alive and having the day off from work is , at the very least , something to be thankful for . Can I get an amen ?!
20 | WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2017