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Editor's Column: Thanksgiving offers simple celebration

Heather Meier/of The Herald

I would be willing to bet that my Thanksgiving isn’t much different than most.

I’ll gather with family and friends at my aunt and uncle’s home, where I’ll tease my cousins and pile too much turkey onto my plate. Earlier in the day, I’ll make my way to my parents’ home so that I can watch the Thanksgiving Day parade with my dad and make pies with my mother.

Most Thanksgivings follow the same routine with little fanfare. There aren’t presents or candy or fireworks, just a slower pace to give us the chance to think about what we’re thankful for.

Every Thanksgiving that rolls around, I take a moment to think about the first one I spent away from my parents. I was living in Austria and was supposed to gather with my class to celebrate our American holiday together. The day before Thanksgiving, though, a terrorist threat had been made to the American Embassy and our celebration was promptly canceled. We couldn’t visit English bookshops, dine at McDonald’s or gather in large groups of Americans.

My roommates and I were all in our very early 20s and away from home for the first time. Though we were enjoying our time in Europe, missing Thanksgiving was a devastating blow.

Despite having a kitchen no larger than a closet, my roommates and I decided to make our own Thanksgiving. Because Thanksgiving is an American holiday and not one shared by the rest of the world, we still had class on that day. Somehow I was lucky enough to be free and so while my roommates were at school, I spent the day cooking.

I couldn’t find turkey, so I had to use small chickens, which I had to put into pots when placing them in the oven because we didn’t have a roaster either. I didn’t have a mixer so I had to boil potatoes until I could mash them with a fork. And I had to make do with unique Viennese pastries rather than the typical apple pie.

When my roommates returned from class at 9 p.m., we started our celebration. We had chicken and mashed potatoes, green beans and honey-glazed carrots, bread and dessert. It was nothing like any Thanksgiving we had ever celebrated before and not one we were bound to repeat again.

As Thanksgiving rolls around again this year, I’m again thankful to spend time with those I love and share this holiday with the rest of my nation.

I’m thankful for the wonderful staff that works at The Herald who made this newspaper the second-best weekly newspaper in the country. I’m thankful for those in the community we’ve had the chance to highlight in the past 12 months. And I’m thankful for loyal readers who pick up The Herald week after week.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.