Thanksgiving in London

I didn't realize I would miss Thanksgiving so much, but I really did (even with my mom and sister visiting). Obviously, people don't celebrate Thanksgiving here, and I knew that as the holiday approached, but that didn't make it any less strange. If my family weren't here, it would have been just a normal, mundane day here in the UK. Daniel worked, the tubes were crowded, children were at school. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday: you're with your loved ones, you eat a ton of food, and it signifies the start of the holiday season. People are a little extra cheerful, strangers smile at you, you can feel the joy and excitement in the air. All of that was missing, and it made me feel deeply lonely, especially after my mom and sister left.

Plus, all of you facebookers posting pictures of your turkey dinners, Christmas trees, and families didn't help with my homesickness :-P

The absolutely adorable couple...J. Crew called, and they want y'all to model for their Holiday catalogue...

SO, we were very thankful that our friends Sadia and Keith were hosting a Thanksgiving dinner on the Saturday after turkey day.

Keith went to an international high school in Jakarta and several of his class mates now live in London. They were all there for dinner, and for nearly all of them it was their first Thanksgiving meal ever!

The food was so crazy good! My mouth is watering just thinking about it...one of the best Thanksgiving meals I have ever had! Not a single dish was missed...we had turkey (duh), mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, mac and cheese, corn bread, and one of the most delicious sweet potato casseroles I have ever had (and that is saying a lot, since I bake sweet potatoes all the time. But there is something that can be said about sweet potatoes covered in brown sugar, with marshmallows drowning in them). The wine seemed to be limitless, as well, which is a good thing when A. It's Thanksgiving and you're 6 time zones away from home and B. You don't drive! Also, we had pumpkin pie and gingerbread cake! Not to mention a bunch of cheese and olives that I devoured while waiting for the turkey. Ohhh how I wish I scooped up some leftovers while nobody was looking!



Could Sadia be an any more gorgeous hostess? She looks like she came straight from a magazine spread!

 

Us, about 5 minutes before we practically licked our plates clean.

 It was so, so very kind of the Turner family to host Thanksgiving at their flat. We will NEVER forget our first Thanksgiving abroad and are so thankful for that delicious meal and great company!