I'd rather be in France.

{Thankful November} 25: Thanksgiving…

December 23rd, 2011 | Rachel

…and other people or food-focused holidays.

Join me in the comments or on your own blog as I give thanks every day this month.

Thanksgiving Spread 2011

Here we are, the namesake of this whole “Thankful November” blog feature.

Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday for a long time.  I remember contemplating the essence of Thanksgiving back in high school, so we’re talking at least ten years now.

I don’t particularly care for holidays and events that involve gifts.  This might make me look like a scrooge, but I don’t like birthday presents or Christmas presents or even wedding presents per se.  What I do like is finding something that makes me think of someone and getting it for them or purposely seeking out some sort of token to show someone I am thinking of them.  I also prefer shared experiences over tangible things.

This is just one of the reasons Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  There are no gifts exchanged at Thanksgiving, no societal pressure to buy your kids the coolest toys or give your significant other something they can brag about to their friends.  No, the only purchases made at Thanksgivingtime are made at the grocery store.

The focal point of Thanksgiving is, usually, the Thanksgiving dinner.  With the food is the main event, a natural byproduct is sitting around a large table and conversing with one another.  It is in every way a communal holiday.

Although I was not able to spend Thanksgiving with my family this year, I did participate in a lovely Southern-style traditional Thanksgiving dinner c0-hosted by my friend Arthur.  We had a great group of about 12 guests including Steve, several of our church friends, a friend’s visiting mother, a Canadian and a friend of mine who I hadn’t seen since college who happened to be visiting from San Francisco.

Thanksgiving Co-Hosts (2011)

Delicious Roasted Turkey (2011)

Dinner was about an hour and a half behind schedule, so there was plenty of time for our guests to catch up with the people they knew and get to know the people they did not.  When the turkey — a gift from my bakery — was finally finished, there was much feasting, followed by even more fellowship.  It was everything a holiday should be.

Christmas is coming up this weekend, and even though gift-giving is an expected part, there will also be many opportunities to focus on the two far more important aspects: food and people.  I am greatly looking forward to both.

My brother, father, and grandfather loading up their plates on Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving for two with my mom (2008)