Canadian Thanksgiving – The Season to Be Grateful

Although not celebrated in Mexico, I was aware of holidays such as Halloween and American Thanksgiving, mostly through cartoons and comic strips, as well as, of course, American football!  One holiday that was a complete surprise to me when I first came to Canada as a graduate student, was Canadian Thanksgiving, an annual celebration on the second Monday in October.  A few days before the holiday, The International Student Association on campus was offering a free Thanksgiving dinner to students from abroad, and one of my teachers offered to usher us newbies, so we could learn all about it and try the traditional food; I joined out of curiosity.  It was lively, with a friendly atmosphere and the burble of excited people in the background.  You could tell the hosting students from the recently arrived guests, not only because we were wearing flannel and coats in October, but because of our keen interest on what we thought was an enticing menu (“as seen on TV” LOL): turkey, bowls of gravy, mashed potatoes, several vegetables and other trimmings (I tried cranberries for the first time) and for the final stretch, a selection of sweets, squares and the ubiquitous  pumpkin pie.  What I thought was neat was to have a holiday focused on appreciating blessings, sharing food and, no buying presents involved!  Years later, when I moved to Canada and had my own family, Thanksgiving continued to be my favourite holiday; this uniquely Canadian tradition inspires me to be appreciative and to create meals prepared from the local harvest, and this feeling continues until American Thanksgiving, on the fourth Thursday of November.  By then, I am all set for the Christmas season (also cozy, hopeful and beautiful, presents and all!)

Although tomorrow is going to be the first time that my daughters will not be with my husband and me to celebrate, I am still thankful because their absence means they have become responsible adults who care about their jobs and school work; I feel blessed because, in spite of the distance, we remain close as a family.

All the produce in the photo above is local; in fact, everything except for the pumpkin came from my backyard; I am also grateful for this beautiful harvest, already thinking what to cook next …

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!