a little like christmas -- thanksgiving week

it's monday, monday before the probably most important thursday of the year in the united states of america.

it feels a little like the days close to christmas. except it's not christmas. it's thanksgiving time. some u.s. americans i've talked to over the years about the meaning of different holidays make it their favorite holiday.

my german friends probably know the text book examples of thanksgiving: the stuffed and baked turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed sweet potatoes with baby marshmallows, corn and cornbread, squash (oh, the varieties!), jell-o in bright colors -- a feast of food.

that's the obvious. but what makes thanksgiving so christmas-like is the intangible atmosphere of anticipation the days before thursday. people make travel plans booking flights with nervousness -- will the plane be delayed because of the collective commuting across the country? will early snow be a threat to timely travel? people are counting down days to see a loved one after a long break. invitations are traded, dinner plans made. college is winding down for a moment with some classes not scheduled for the week or converted into time to work on your own. in some cases colleges take thanksgiving to start winter break altogether.

although thanksgiving in the sense of "Erntedankfest" [giving thanks for the harvest] is celebrated in rural parts of germany, it is not a native holiday to me as a city person nor to most of my friends. it's certainly not a national holiday.

but a few years of life in the united states of america have firmly established thanksgiving in my mental calendar and anticipation captures me, too. i sat down to "gemuetlich" read a thanksgiving short story in the washington post magazine. i contemplated vegetarian entrees [the course of the meal between appetizer and dessert] which seem to abound according to my selective perception. but a dinner invitation came along that i'm looking forward to, and not only because the considerate host assured plenty of vegetables will be on the table. i scheduled my work to be done before thursday to spend all four days with j. coming from the other coast.

while food is a big part of thanksgiving, community of people is more important. with the scarcity of vacation from work in the united states of america, thanksgiving thursday creates a four-day weekend (at least), long enough to escape from fall routine. like christmas it's a special, visiting for the sake of being together, that lightens up the darkening days of the season. and without worrying about gift giving.

that's next, when "black friday" right after thanksgiving thursday unleashes the biggest shopping rush of the year -- say hello to christmas consumption.