I wasn't looking forward to Thanksgiving. It's the day I most miss my parents and siblings and also because celebrating American holidays abroad highlights the fact that I'm an expat, not a native. Since we've moved to Belgium, we've always traveled the week of Thanksgiving, but this year that wasn't possible. Another reason I wasn't looking forward to Thanksgiving is that every weekend in November has been a long weekend for the kids, who have missed seven days of school due to American holidays and teacher work days. I was concerned that yet another long weekend would leave them bored and out of sorts, but so far, so good.
First there was the pleasant surprise of sunshine and blue skies yesterday morning, a gift during the gray and rainy season. I took a long walk with my iPod putting bounce in my step, and then came home and set my daughter E-Grrrl up to make her very first pumpkin pie. Because I need to ship out Christmas gifts to America next week, E-Grrrl and I spent time wrapping them, a task I love because each package becomes a little seed of joy that I plant in a plain brown shipping box to bloom later in the hands of friends and family.
E did the marketing in the morning and we made dinner together. He finished off the bottle of wine that was in the refrigerator from Di's visit, and then got into the Grand Marnier that I was sipping from a tiny cordial glass. He poured his serving into a wine glass, and by late afternoon he was quite the jolly companion. Regular readers of this blog have probably picked up that while E is a nice enough guy, he's conservative and buttoned-up compared to his more free-spirited wife. Well those personality differences disappear when he's drunk tipsy. With a little alcohol defrosting his temperament, he laughs easily, and all the jokes and sexual innuendo that he normally does not find funny become hilarious. Let's just say this made for some very good times and lots of spills in the kitchen and set a nice tone for dinner.
Of course, the sipping of Grand Marnier and kitchen comedy might be the reason I forgot to make the stuffing (oops), but we still had plenty of food and it all came out fabulous. especially E's mashed potatoes which were perfection--a bit lumpy, not starchy, and full of flavor. We ate in the dining room with the table properly set and loads and loads of candles and it was great fun. The kids were a blast, cheerful and funny.
We used my mother's Thanksgiving serving pieces and gathered around the very same table I'd eaten at as a child. It was easy to conjure happy memories and smile, not weep, over the ghosts of those long gone. So, in the end it was all good, and I was thankful for my little family unit under the Belgian sun, my slightly drunk husband, and all the friends I love so much and carry in my heart.
After dinner, we walked under a nearly full moon, and then E and I watched the 2006 film version of All the King's Men, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written by Robert Penn Warren in 1946. It tells the story of the rise and fall of a Louisiana politician and his right-hand man, a former newspaper reporter who became fascinated with him while covering his campaign. The movie had an incredible cast: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, James Gandolofino, Anthony Hopkins, Mark Ruffalo, and others. The acting was superb, the cinematography stunning. I became completely engrossed in the story, loved the rich Southern gothic drama, and thought it was a visual feast. The weakness of the script was in not better capturing the nature of the relationship between Jude Law and Kate Winslet's characters. Still, I loved this film; on some level it reminded me of Sophie's Choice. Put it in your Netflix queue.
Today while America embarks on the crazed consumer madness of the day known as Black Friday (the first official shopping day of the Christmas season), I basked in Belgium's low key approach to holidays. While E took the kids and their friends to an ice skating rink in Leuven, I boldly and bravely drove my car to a part of Brussels I'd never driven in before. It's one of my favorite shopping areas, but I normally take the bus or Metro there because it's so congested and getting there is a bit tricky for a spatially challenged grrrl. So while it won't seem like an accomplishment to the rest of you, just driving there, parking, and getting home was a Big Deal for me.
The shops are decorated for Christmas and it was cold and gray which seemed cozy today. I thoroughly enjoyed walking through the streets, admiring the goods in the store windows, most of which were way out of my price range. (Are there really women who pay $75-100 for a pair of panties? $500 for a coat? $85 for jeans? This wasn't designer stuff, y'all!)
I bought some of Belgian's finest chocolates for a friend in America. I stood in the chocolate shop for nearly half an hour, trying to decide whether to go with Belgian chocolate made with the cocoa from Madagascar, Venezuela, Java, Mexico, Ecuador, or Ghana. Apparently the origin of the cocoa beans affects the flavor of the final product, and being a poor white trash Southern girl non-connoisseur, I was clueless regarding the subtle nuances of the ingredients. Sadly, free samples were NOT available to help me make up my mind. I read everything I could get my hands on and boldly made my selections, confident that there are no bad choices to be made in a Belgian chocolate shop!
Next I went on to a favorite craft shop. I had a "fidelity card" from this place that was finally full after two and a half years and a dozen purchases. I thought the full card would entitle me to 5 percent discount off my next purchase, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover instead that it entitled me to a store credit equal to 5 percent of my total previous purchases in the store. I ended up selecting French language stamps, a punch, and two winter-themed stamps and only paying 10 euros. Woo hoo!
Tonight we'll have a fire, I'll finish preparing packages for shipping, and maybe, just maybe, get to make some art after dark.
How was your Thanksgiving? Anyone go shopping today?
November 23, 2007