Bringing Thanksgiving to Birmingham

In 1621, the Pilgrims left England and sailed to America. That first winter was incredibly difficult for the Pilgrims, and they suffered many hardships. Luckily, Squanto and other Native Americans showed them the ropes of how to take advantage of the bounties from the land that would later be called Massachusetts. By the following autumn, they held a three-day feast in order to celebrate all the wonderful food they gathered from their harvest. At the first Thanksgiving, there were actually more Native Americans than Pilgrims. Since the 1800s, Americans have honored this time in our history and have dedicated one day out of the year to remember to count our blessings and gather with family and friends around a table for a delicious feast.

I had my first Thanksgiving celebration of the year this past weekend… and I feasted in the very country that the Pilgrims left: England!

Sarah and I traveled to Birmingham, England in order to have a Thanksgiving with Yadira, who now lives in Bham instead of Madrid. We arrived on Saturday; that night, the three of us went into downtown Bham for the German Christmas Market, where we perused the holiday wares displayed under the tents, snacked on bratwursts, and drank glühwein (mulled wine). Sunday morning was spent preparing for the big party—a grocery store run and several hours in the kitchen. Yadira was in charge of the turkey, whom I named Stanley, and SK & I took care of some side dishes: mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, dressing (aka stuffing), and sweet potato casserole.

Yadira and her three awesome roommates (Jenn from CA, Yogi from India, & Anya from Poland) hosted over ten guests from various parts of England and even Australia. It was truly an international bunch, and everyone enjoyed learning about our American tradition. Take a look at the video for a visual display of the Sunday-Thanksgiving action!

After our afternoon feast, we were all rendered pretty much useless and content to stay inside (it was dark by 5:00 anyway) for the remainder of the night. However, the roommates and us two free-loaders managed to move our bodies for a spontaneous dance party later on! The trip was short but sweet, and early Monday morning Yadira drove SK & me to the bus station where we caught our bus to the Luton-London airport. SK & I enjoyed our time with Yadira, but we weren’t too sad to say goodbye because we’ll be hosting her in Madrid in just a few weeks!
My 3^rd graders traveling class pet, Peppa Pig, went to England with me to have an American Thanksgiving, and we kicked off the holidays with an indulgent treat: a Christmas-sprinkles KrispyKreme doughnut.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for so many things, and I'm thrilled that I've still got a few more chances to celebrate!