Parallelogram: Thanks Giving Away

\One experience explored from two points-of-view\

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Lisa\Montreal

This is your first Thanksgiving away from Madison.  If you were still there, how would you celebrate?

Unless we were invited to someone else’s Thanksgiving, we would not celebrate on our own.  That’s a lot of turkey.  All our of friends were rooted in Wisconsin it seems, where we had just moved there from Bermuda two years’ prior.  Everyone we know would therefore likely participate in their own traditional family gathering.  My blog tells me last year we wrapped presents, went to Whole Foods and took a walk down by the icy shore of Lake Monona. (Thank god for my blog as memory-replacement.)  I’m certain we’d do the same this year.

Will you celebrate this year in Montreal?

Canada does celebrate Thanksgiving, every second Monday in October since 1957, but in the same position as last year (recently moved) we went to Durga Puja instead of grocery shopping and taking a walk.

For a few years, Thanksgiving meant going to my in-laws house where a big feast was prepared and consumed and finished off with a gorgeous cinnamon ice cream.  It was a long, lingering, comfortable day and I am grateful to have those memories.  As with everything transient, who knows what next year’s Thanksgiving will bring?

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Laura\Mayaguez

This is your first Thanksgiving away from Madison.  If you were still there, how would you celebrate?

We usually go to the Milwaukee area to my Mom’s house for one meal, then stuff our faces again at my Dad and Step-Mom’s.  I make the pies. It’s relaxing.  If the weather is nice we talk a walk, if not we play Scrabble.

Will you celebrate this year in Mayaguez?

A little.  Thanksgiving is a national holiday here too. D has a 5 day break, but I heard some of the public schools have all week off.  Turkey is king here too, with a few Puerto Rican sides thrown in.  I tried to schmooze my way into someone’s celebration but no one took the bate. The thought of just having T-day by ourselves bummed me out but we’ll make some hormone-free free-range chicken breasts (I couldn’t find boneless turkey), mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and strawberry cream pie.

With the weather so warm, the spirit of the holiday season seems lost almost. I’ve had the kids make some Thanksgiving decorations to help us get in the mood.

Over the weekend we night take a scenic drive, go to the beach, and hang out Christmas decorations on Sunday.