A Thanksgiving Update

Today is the last day of fall semester. It's been a tough journey.  

After my class tonight, I really should start writing my final paper on Russian Revolution and start enjoying the Christmas season. Besides, I still have cards to write, gifts to wrap and shop orders to take care of.

 Snow ushered quietly the day before Thanksgiving. We had a quiet dinner at home, and Kepi cooked a perfect Turkey.

 After our Thanksgiving dinner at home, we visited Brigit's house to have more Turkey and Filipino treats. Here's Kepi attacking the Turkey again.

 Ridiculous! This is how the mall looked like on Thanksgiving evening. People were out shopping.

 Black Friday! Kepi and I love the bargains on Black Friday.  We did hit our favorite shops. The lines weren't that bad. I was able to get some sweaters and movies. I'll start watching these movies once this semester ends.

 I also bought a Santa to put near the fireplace. It was so funny because people were looking at me and Santa riding my shopping cart. I think it's also because Santa has this bell on his hat that kept ringing while we rolled inside the shop.

Christmas Trees! After Thanksgiving, houses came alive with lights and wreaths and even cars came bearing with Christmas trees.

 Kepi and I visited our local home and garden center and picked our tree. The lights are on, but I haven't had the time to hang the ornaments yet. Our tree is about 7 ft.

 The snow stayed a few days. Here's Kepi and Daisy going out for a walk.

Crazy Daisy loves the snow.

 I baked these sugar cookies for Thanksgiving and they're a keeper. Crunchy on the outside and chewy in the inside. That's the way I love 'em.

 I baked these Blueberry Streusel Muffins two days ago. Kepi loves 'em. I'm testing out recipes as I'm thinking of giving baked goodies as Christmas gifts especially to our neighbors.

Gobble Gobble

It's gobble gobble time of the year!

On Saturday, we decided to go shopping for our Thanksgiving dinner. The town shop, usually dead, was busier than usual. There was a lot of frozen Turkey at the freezer section. If majority of the shoppers were rummaging for the biggest bird, we were the opposite. Since there won't be many people eating the Turkey at home, we wanted a small one. The smallest one we could find was 10 lbs. That is still too big!

We got a Butterball, and this will be Kepi's first time cooking a full bird at home. We've usually spent our Thanksgivings in Atlantic City. This year, we'll be celebrating at home.

I sold my first batch of Chocolate Chip Banana muffins. I have a couple more recipes I'm working on, and I'm excited.

Yes, I have started my Christmas shopping and some are already wrapped. Some of these will be traveling via mail.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. (John F. Kennedy)

A beautiful Thanksgiving to all!

Quick Thought on Thanksgiving

Today, I had lunch with my office mates at Elephant and Castle, a British pub/restaurant in the area. It was our early Thanksgiving lunch, as everyone seems to be going home to their respective states this afternoon. Like me, most of my coworkers are also transplants in the DC area, so when the holidays arrive, almost everyone seems to be planning their flight or train trip home. As for me, I'll be spending Thanksgiving here with my Mom. Mom was supposed to fly home to Hawaii two weeks ago, but she decided to spend Thanksgiving with me instead. Thank you, Mom.

Mom and I haven't decided how we'll celebrate Thanksgiving yet. As Filipino-Americans, we prefer chicken to turkey. Instead of stuffings and mashed potatoes, we cook pansit or macaroni salad. We Filipinize Thanksgiving. But Thanksgiving is not about the food; it is more than that. I've observed that as time goes by, people are forgetting the meaning of Thanksgiving. It isn't about how perfect the turkey is or how abundant food is on the table. It is about giving thanks to God, family, friends, and welcoming new acquaintances to your home. I do hope that as families dine together this Thanksgiving, they'd remember the true history of America, the Native Americans, the Pilgrims, and most of all, that different cultures can co-exist harmoniously.