Turkey Week

Alexa Nickandros
Nov 25, 2018
3 min read

Winslow here wishing you all a Happy Turkey Day!

The young one over here happened to have a Happy Turkey Week. Have you ever heard of hand turkeys? Well I sure have now. She says that with the little kids the activity of tracing your hand and dressing it up as a turkey is useful to teach following directions and of course, colors. Also, since I last wrote, she has picked up a side gig teaching English to two 5-year-old girls a couple times a week, to which she remarked, “I know just the thing to do with them! Hand turkeys!”

With the older kids she had them actually cut out the turkeys and add feathers and then asked them what they’re thankful for. That’s a difficult concept to grasp! I saw one of these laying around so I figured I’d take a jab at it too. I apologize for my handwriting; I’m used to typing nowadays.

To top off the hand turkey extravaganza she roped in the boyfriend to create this masterpiece.

The young one asked me if I wanted to leave my print too, which was a kind gesture and all, but I don’t think it would have come out quite as well.

Ah, here’s some good news: the young one was in the Berry Republican on Thursday! If you wish to read the article…well you can’t...unless you speak French. So feel free to look at the lovely picture bordered by decorative words.

The gist of the article is to tell the general public that some Americans are bringing one of their most cherished holidays over to France this year. Most French people have no idea what Thanksgiving is; it’s not religious and you do almost the same exact thing again for Christmas, so what in the world is it? The young one recounted a bit of the interview with the journalist and told me that when asked “what does Thanksgiving mean to you?” she replied that it feels nostalgic. There’s something about the feeling of Thanksgiving that embodies the New England Fall colors, the changing air, high school football games, the sounds and smells of cooking first thing in the morning, and the relief of a long weekend. Then she proceeded to tell the journalist about all the hand turkeys she’s been making.

The day wasn’t just nostalgic, but it was also about taking hold of what and who we have here in France right now. Embracing the circumstances. So, the young one and the boyfriend went out for a nice dinner together; something neither of them have ever done on Thanksgiving. That aspect seemed to make it feel like the right thing to do that night. Saturday, though, was the real deal. It was the first time I’ve ever been invited to a Friendsgiving! There’s this really nice girl who offered to host all these people at her small place, including the ones from England and Australia and France. An international Thanksgiving! How cool! Hey, that’s what the holiday is all about, spending time with the people closest to you, geographically-speaking in this case. And the young one wants to me to add “stuffing”, “the holiday is also about stuffing”.

Dinner at La Gargouille (Rabbit and fried polenta for the young one, and beef tartar for the boyfriend)

Carving the chicken

A holiday that is actually widely celebrated in France is Black Friday. They even lit up the town for the occasion, and began playing Christmas music in stores and on the streets. There were people gathered in the town center, Place Gordaine, cheering on their kids in the ensemble who were honking away at some Christmas carols. The scene was complete with fake snow, hot wine, and cotton candy. Every street in town is decorated with different lights.