Thanksgiving!

This coming Thursday, 24 November is Thanksgiving day, a holiday which is celebrated in the US and Canada, but for separate reasons and on separate dates.

It has never been celebrated in Australia, but I always liked the idea of serving lashes of food, and having friends all around us, so I came up with the idea of 'Thanksgiving Under the Stars!'  As it isn't a holiday here, we celebrated it on a date that suited all of us, and loved it, because it was a time for us all to be together.  We used to spread the tables and chairs out on our large front deck which stood at the first floor of the house, with nice views of the countryside, and then we would add all the special trimmings---special lighting effects, and table settings, with a large serving table off to the side. 

We usually invited a group of about 12, a good mixture of laughter and fun.

I usually cooked all of the main meal items, which never included turkey!  Not really a Lynch family favourite, and not really that popular here.  So I usually baked a leg of ham, similar to my Mum's recipe, and I usually also roasted a leg of pork or a lamb.  There were all sorts of vegetables, but more geared to Australian tastes, with roasted pumpkin, and cauliflower au gratin, with steamed greens, and various other assorted offerings. 

Our friends provided the appetisers and starters, and desserts.  It was fun, and while there was work involved, as there always is in preparing for a good night, it was always worth it!  I will forever carry those happy memories with me.  The laughter, the good food, the atmosphere, and the love.

I wish you all love with your family and friends.  Show them that you love them.  Create your own 'Thanksgiving' activity--it is a good way to show them how much they mean to you, and for them to do the same. 

Enjoy it all!