This was the third Thanksgiving I’ve spent in England and I must say it’s been the best one. The ward I’m in now has quite a few Americans and I was hopeful that I’d get invited to a good ole-fashioned homemade family Thanksgiving dinner. I was not disappointed. I ended up having three Thanksgivings. My first one was actually a few weeks ago and was a great way to kick off the feasting season. My friend and fellow American with whom I serve in Young Women’s is married to an Englishman. She does a Thanksgiving every year for all of her friends and family and this year I was included. Pretty much my favorite part of Thanksgiving is hanging out and making the meal and chatting, so I asked her if I could help with the cooking. She was nice enough to accept my offer and I had a fabulous time. We mashed potatoes, roasted yams, and gabbed the afternoon away. Then we headed up to the bishop’s house for the party. The dinner was delicious and we laughed and I felt like I was back with my family. It was a great night and I discovered that I can fit an entire slice of coconut cream pie in my mouth all at once.
My second Thanksgiving was a bit more low key, but delicious nonetheless. Another American family in the ward called this week to see if we would want to join their family for Thanksgiving. The answer was definitely yes. We went over Friday night and had an amazing meal. She had made rolls and they were so fantastic. I ate three. Then we played games with their cute kids and watched a movie. They were so hospitable and I felt right at home with them. Their kids are sweet and made me miss my cute little guys at home.
Then today I hosted my very first Thanksgiving dinner. I have to say it went well. I was pretty worried about it, having never cooked a turkey or made stuffing before, but I can honestly say that I did a pretty darn good job. I do make all sorts of experimental food and it usually turns out well, so I was fairly confident. I invited a few friends from the ward here and a few from Reading. We ended up with seven of us and I had a distinct sense of accomplishment at the end. I roasted the turkey to perfection and even made stuffing just like Grandma makes, though not quite as well as she does. Everything was done right on time and there was plenty of it. The house was even clean and the dishes loaded in the dishwasher. It was loads of work, but totally worth it. I feel like a proper grown up woman now. Maybe next year I’ll even try pie.
