Thanksgiving away

Grateful and happy was the resounding theme as we went around the table.

It was thus;
We grew up in a family of enormous numbers and are used to corresponding enormous thanksgiving parties. Often we absorbed "extra" people - that is, foreign exchange students who had didn't know about the holiday, people who's family lived too far away, or stragglers from other thanksgiving parties who liked our's better. ;)

Here there is no Thanksgiving, but they have St. Martin's day (see all about the Laternenfest) where it's traditional to roast a goose and have all the trimmings. Turkey goose same gander.

So my sister has been hosting Graz Thanksgiving for a few years, and she decided to do it in terrific style this year. There were two centerpieces of dinner. One the traditional brown stuffed animal (not a bear!) and one a manificent vegetarian (actually, probably vegan, I'm not 100% sure) stuffed gigantic pumpkin which slow roasted all day.
Chestnuts are quite common here, as are specialty mushrooms, and everyone who came brought something. Our table was stuffed to the gills, and eventually we were too.

Multigenerational, multinational, multitraditional and we all went around the table and said what we were thankful for. Even people who were uncomfortable with being put on the spot had positive things to say. The rule was enforced for late comers too. All told, close to 35 people were there over the course of the long night. I only have some pictures from the beginning, when only a few people were there, and my dear sister was playing ultimate hostess. Carving.

And from the other side. 

My new friend Manuela had her trusty camera with her and got some action shots of our kids eating at the kiddie table:

All five of us. 

Their terrific chefs hats that we made ourselves with printer paper and wax paper. Fun project!

Felix struggling to keep awake.

No longer struggling. Now just snuggling. Yes, he's wearing an apron, and holding three stuffed animals and reading a book, and fell asleep pointing at something.

And what are we grateful for?? That our first Thanksgiving in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving was full of welcoming people, whether they knew us or not. <3 p="">