As
the snow flies on a cold and grey Chicago mornin', a poor little baby child is
born. In the ghetto. And his mama cries, ‘cause if there's one thing that she
don't need, it’s another hungry mouth to feed. In the ghetto.
-
Elvis Presley
Happy Thanksgiving!
Last night’s Blackout
Wednesday was really fun with the Alley’s and everyone else who came around,
but today was even better!
Thanksgiving is the
day of the year where family gets together to celebrate the fall harvest and to
give thanks for what they have in their lives. This year, I have plenty to be
thankful for: I’m fortunate to be in the great city of Chicago, with some of my
family, two of my best mates from Australia and a great American family. I’m
very privileged.
Aside from being a
great day for eating, drinking, socialising with friends and watching a bit of
football, Thanksgiving also marks the start of the Christmas holiday season,
which is definitely my favourite time of the year. So, basically, there’s
nothing not to like about the last Thursday in November.
I love being in
America for the lead-up to Christmas. Every city and small town you visit or
pass through is decked out in festive displays which are bigger, better and
more prominent than back home. If you love Christmas and have an opportunity to
travel here, it’s a wonderful month to be in the country. Everything reminds me
of one Christmas movie or another – Miracle on 34th Street, Home
Alone(s), The Santa Clause, and a dozen others – and the cold weather adds to
the atmosphere.
Lauryn slept overnight
at the Alley house and did a 5km Turkey Trot this morning, and just about froze
to death in the process. That’s madness and I didn’t want anything to do with
it, so whilst those crazies did their thing a few towns over, I chose the
option of sleeping in after two nights’ previous without much sleep, and caught
some of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from New York City on TV.
If there’s one thing
that America as a whole beats the entire world at, it’s putting on a parade. We
saw an amazing one at Disneyland two days ago, and I was in awe of the 2009
Tournament of Roses Rose Parade in Pasadena and America’s Thanksgiving Parade
in Detroit in 2010. They know how to put together an impressive spectacle.
The Macy’s Parade, a
true and iconic Thanksgiving tradition which has been featured on many
television shows and movies, features impressive floats, giant balloons,
musical performances, dancers, Santa Claus at the end…the works. It draws
millions of television viewers annually and what seems like half of New York
City out to watch the parade on it’s route from uptown to the Macy’s flagship
store in the heart of Manhattan. For me, it sets the mood perfectly for the
rest of the day and for the next few weeks.
We had a giant and
delicious Thanksgiving – early – dinner at Matt and Jaimie’s house with sixteen
people, some of whom we hadn’t met before. It was perhaps the happiest and most
friendly group of people I’ve been amongst. Everyone is so positive with the excitement
of the holidays on the doorstep. There is nothing like spending Thanksgiving
with a great family, and I don’t think there are any more welcoming than the
Alley’s. It’s very humbling how much people are glad to have us there.
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| My plate |
Of course, the food was amazing: beans, potato, turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potato, corn bread and more. I could not have eaten more than I did. Every single thing on the table to eat was insanely delicious. I had two or three plates, and that was before dessert. I love how they spaced out the main meal with dessert so my stomach had time to settle. We were drinking all day, too. Not the healthiest day of the year, but definitely the most fun.
It was nearly midnight before we left Matt’s
house, after everyone else. It was hard
to leave because we’d all had so much fun. Definitely the best day of the trip
so far! Thanks to everyone who made it possible.
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| Everyone |
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