Thanksgiving as Expats

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving!  Of all holidays, it is one of my favorites.  It is an opportunity for family and friends to bring thankful hearts and share a meal together around a common table.  It is a time to share family traditions as well as recipes to pass along for Thanksgivings to come.  My family has shared Thanksgiving for many years (could it be almost 20?)  with dear friends.  Like us, their families of origin were elsewhere so we bonded together to form our own family.  Together we have created traditions and holiday memories for our children.  Thanksgiving just isn't Thanksgiving without the Murphys.

We have interrupted that tradition for a couple of years with our move to the UK.  Thanksgiving does go on though, and one finds ways to make Thanksgiving memories here in London.  You don't have to dig too deep to find Thanksgiving celebrations here.  Whether you put an inquiry out on the AWC (American Women's Club) facebook page or simply Google 'Thanksgiving in London' - something will turn up.

What turned up for us???

Thanksgiving morning was spent at St. Paul's Cathedral. Each year they host an American Thanksgiving service complete with the US Ambassador, the pastor of the American Church in London as well as a color guard from the US Marines.  This service is packed.  And the common thread is that we are all Americans coming together to remember this holiday.  After the service the church is open for Americans to tour around the church.  Plus, and this is a biggy, they allow photos.  This is the only time I have been to St Paul's that they allow photos.

St. Paul's Cathedral is a beautiful Wren designed church.  It deserves its own blog entry but this is a view from the quire looking out towards the congregation.  Wren's vision was that the beauty would come from the light streaming inside from the many windows.  That was enough adornment for him.  Not so for the Victorians who came along and put up all the gilded mosaics you see on much of the ceiling.

Coming out from the service I am once again reminded that I not in the States.  In London it is a day like any other work day.  The buses are packed, people are bustling to get to their destinations, taxis are looking for their next fare.  Back home I would be making preparations for the feast ahead.  Here I chased down the necessary paperwork to extend our visas.  Much of our afternoon was spent in a post office waiting for our turn to get our biometrics complete.  But I am thankful that process is finished and we have visas in hand!

But then it is time for Thanksgiving dinner....  This is our second year attending the Thanksgiving dinner hosted by the Benjamin Franklin House.  It is a major fundraiser for this non profit. 

The dinner is held at the Worshipful Company of Butchers. Chartered in 1605, this is one of the oldest livery companies (like guilds or trade unions) in the City of London.

While the outside of the building looks pretty much like any other, the inside is a different story.  A beautiful stairway - complete with a bust of the Queen Mum - takes you from the ground floor up to the venue.  

The room is set with 3 long tables with seating on both sides.  Four foot tall candelabras grace the tables.

There is this wonderful tapestry at the head of the hall.

I love dining at this long table.  While the friends you came with are seated with you, this seating arrangement also encourages conversation with others around you.  Everyone's journey to this table is different.  Last year we met a couple on their honeymoon.  They knew they would be in London for Thanksgiving and made plans for this dinner.  I wonder where they supped this year.

Dinner is served family style with spiral carved turkeys and all the traditional side dishes.  It was all wonderful!  Turkeys here are a bit pricey - they end up being about $10/pound.  I wouldn't be purchasing that 20 lb turkey here!

And just like Thanksgiving at home - we all went home with full tummies and grateful hearts.