Thanksgiving Weekend
On Thanksgiving weekend came and went, and we are grateful for our good health and family and friends, near and far. So much gratitude for life’s blessings.
For the past 15 years, Kenz and I have always hosted Thanksgiving dinner over Thanksgiving weekend. Some years were small and intimate with a few friends only. Other years there were up to 10 people, all pre-kids days of course. More recently, we’ve only had one or two families join us for Thanksgiving dinner.
This year was extra special as we hosted dearest of friends from California. Kenz grew up with a tight circle of friends. Lucky for us, we saw many friends during our California trip, but missed a few, including the R family. So when the R family told us they will be in London for Thanksgiving with their two oldest kids, we were delighted. With extra special guests in town, we absolutely had to have Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving Day
It was a classic Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, brussels sprouts, butternut squash with creamed spinach, and simple green salad. I didn’t take the day off as I am out of annual leave so it was a bit hectic to manage working from home and roasting a turkey. I spent Tuesday evening making pumpkin pecan pies for close friends and Wednesday prepping as much as I can. This way all I needed to do for Thursday was roast the turkey in the lower oven and all the other sides on the top oven.
Our friends and their kids arrived at 5pm after spending the day in nearby Greenwich. The kids went straight upstairs for some playtime whilst the parents enjoyed a glass of Veuve Clicquot EBEO, trying to catch up on the past 4.5 years. We had a lovely time together celebrating Thanksgiving over a traditional meal, laughter, and good company. After pumpkin pecan pie, food coma and jet lag was setting in. Our friends made their way back to South Kensington to get some rest before another day of sightseeing in Windsor.
Touristy Weekend in London
Trying to squeeze as much time with the R family, we met them for dinner on Friday evening at BrewDog Waterloo, a fun and family-friendly venue at the old Eurostar terminus. The kids had a great time going down the 10ft spiral tubular slide. After dinner we took an evening stroll along the Thames River and across to the Embankments where we bid farewell until tomorrow.
On the request of their precocious seven-year old son, we spent Saturday afternoon at the British Museum. My friend’s son was in heaven exploring the Egyptian mummies and Greek mythology. He is exceptionally bright and so impressive with a reading level of a 12 year old. By far, the most gifted child I have ever met.
Then it was on to enjoy the beautiful Christmas tree in Covent Garden, one of our favourite spots in London for all things merry and bright. The plan was to walk up Regents Street and find a spot for dinner. However, central London was very busy, heaving with people so we quickly had to abort plans as the kids were getting tired.
It was lovely spending time with dear friends from California. Only wish we had more time together but they had to make their way to Munich for the second leg of their European tour.
We are grateful to spend Thanksgiving weekend in the company of new and old friends who have enriched our lives in so many ways.
