On the fourth Thursday of November, the whole family gets together to celebrate one of the most appreciated holidays in the United States: Thanksgiving, a holiday which we do not have anything similar to in Denmark or Europe. Still it does make a lot of sense. Originally, it was celebrated as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest of the previous year. In present day, it is more about the food and all the family getting together to be thankful in every way possible.

Usually, I never eat turkey during the year, but at Thanksgiving it’s all about it. Potatoes are served in a lot of different shapes and colours, awaiting for you to taste them. The dessert, which – in my case – was cheesecake and pumpkin pie, was not bad either. My favorite part was the family getting together: no stress from your busy life, only focusing on the good vibes between people.

I had the opportunity to get closer to my host parents nearest family by playing games and – of course – eating. Eating all day makes you so full and you are convinced that you can not get one more bite down, and  then as a last touch, there is a turkey sandwich in the evening.

The day after was the well-known day of crazed crowds and cheap electronics in malls and shops all over the country: Black Friday. The mall I went to was insanely crowded, and it was not only teenage girls filling up the center: it was people of all ages and genders. Being used to relative expensive prices, I enjoyed the massive sales. It is so American to collect coupons from papers and then buy a lot of stuff that is already on sale with your coupon, so the item in the end is almost free. In We have no such thing.

Taking everything in consideration, Thanksgiving should be here to stay. Families get together and spend time together, and the next day is perfect if you do not want to spend a ton of money on certain things you need – and maybe do not need.