A Happy Thanksgiving

Okay, this will be a long story because it begins a month ago. Matt and I were chatting of being away for the holidays and I was feeling a bit blue while reminiscing of my family’s traditions and events I would miss. Matt boldly suggested, “Why don’t we invite our friends over for a traditional Thanksgiving meal?” I immediately loved the idea but was overcome by fears of cooking using Celsius and metric measurements, the task of finding the right groceries, and anxiety our guests would not enjoy themselves. So I cautiously mentioned the idea to Johnny and Jenny who were wholly supportive; that set the plans in motion! Yet Matt and I did not do much for planning until last Monday when we began inviting our guests. Our apartment is small but cozy, so we decided to limit the number of people to 8 or 9, including Matt and me. Thursday morning dawned rainy and chilly and the city’s attitude was that of another workday, but we were bursting with the excitement of our holiday plans! Matt and I worked as a team. I went to our 9 am class and then completed my daily workout at the University while Matt went to the Corte Ingles with his detailed list in hand. When I arrived at home at 1:30 in the afternoon I was quite pleased with his success! He had found an actual turkey – the only turkey – plus all the other groceries I had requested. The rest of the afternoon we spent tidying up and arranging the apartment to make things look cozy and inviting. We made a fast trip to the Internet café to read how to bake a turkey; I’ve never even thought of making one before! Towards early evening, I chopped up all sorts of fresh vegetables, sliced fresh French bread, and cubed the cheese. Nicky arrived around seven and immediately set to work preparing mashed potatoes. Johnny and Jenny arrived around 8 with all sorts of groceries in tow. They don’t have an oven at home, so they brought all their stuff to prepare in mine! Their contribution included green beans, macaroni and cheese, and pie. Our Spanish friends Gabriel, Vera and Bruno arrived at 9 pm bearing traditional Spanish desserts and Nicky and me made up the gravy and finished the corn while Matt sliced the bird. Though we didn’t find cranberries or Stovetop, our meal was a feast! Matt prayed over our meal and then we thoroughly enjoyed explaining the foods to our Spanish guests. I was so anxious, however, that I could barely taste my food! I was terrified the turkey was overdone or underdone and that we’d all be sadly disappointed that our cooking is average compared to that of our mothers’ and grandmothers’ excellent fare. Thankfully, everything was tasty and we even got compliments on the turkey! Even more rewarding was the conversation and the laughter; I do think everyone had a good time and for that I was delighted. By the time everyone left at 12:30 am, however, I was exhausted! I was moving towards the kitchen when Matt wrapped me up in a big hug and we giggled together over the success of the evening. I am still so pleased to have this enjoyable memory, me and Matt’s first Thanksgiving as a married couple, and here in Spain, and such a nice evening! We hope you all enjoyed the time with family and friends, ate the pumpkin pie that we didn’t, and feel rested and rejuvenated for the week ahead. We wish you all a happy Christmas season!