Celebrating Thanksgiving in Spain is much like throwing a party and only one guest arrives. I remember going home for the holidays, having the house decorated with lights, poinsettias and a Christmas Tree. Friends and family all around, playing pool or cards, eating a ton. The food spread on the table was plentiful from a big fat turkey, baked ham, sweet and mashed potatoes, green beans, and lots of desserts like apple or pumpkin pies.
In Spain, there are opportunities to spend with expats like Americans Living in Valencia who throw a great bash every year at Portland Ale House. But living in a small city, far from the action, one has to be inventive. You can make your own feast and teach those around you the importance of this holiday in the U.S.A. Feeling a little wishful to be with my American family, I decorated the home with holiday decorations, putting up lights, making wreaths and cutting out paper leaves to make a Giving Tree at school.
At school, I was able to teach the children the history of Thanksgiving, how half the pilgrims passed away before the long winter was over their first year in America, how the Native Americans helped them to recover, grow crops, and hunt for food. To thank the Indians, the Pilgrims made a feast and they celebrated the new harvest. During class, I asked a group of 8 year olds what they give thanks for in their lives. These were their responses:
- mom/dad
- grandma/grandpa
- brothers/sisters
- cousins
- clothes
- house
- food
- water
- air
- oxygen
- nose (to breathe)
- birthdays
- school
- teachers
- English
- Spanish
- table (to write on) – otherwise, they would have to write on the floor
- chairs (to sit on)
- football
- skating
- animals
- trees
- plants
- tablets/computers
- jobs (their parents jobs in this crisis)
- and…to be born
How lovely these little minds are…
So during the holidays, remember to give thanks to those you love. Ring a friend you haven´t spoken to in years, send a note or email an old picture you both haven´t seen for years stored somewhere in one of those shoe boxes or old hard drives.
Happy holidays from Spain!
