nut free nerd

This past Thursday was my second favorite holiday (after Christmas, of course): Thanksgiving!! Every year since I can remember all of my family members have come over to my house for Thanksgiving dinner. Sitting crammed around our too-small dining room table is one of the few times each year when we’re all gathered together in one place and I always look forward to the food and festivities. Needless to say, I was quite sad when I realized that studying abroad would mean that I wouldn’t be home for this lovely holiday. Fortunately, Mansfield College already had this problem covered!

Since Mansfield is used to hosting visiting students from the States each year they always put on a Thanksgiving dinner in the Chapel Hall. We weren’t quite sure how it was going to go, but we needn’t have worried– it was amazing! They served the usual turkey with all the trimmings and even had pumpkin pie for dessert (we had all been craving it for days now). Not only was it great to have a familiar meal, but it was also really fun to share the experience with my friends from the U.K. who had never been to a Thanksgiving dinner before. (They were so confused about the corn bread for some reason…)

Of course, nothing is comparable to Thanksgiving dinner back home. I think it’s safe to say that we all found this a bit too formal for our liking, especially since most of us are used to a relaxed, casual dinner with family. We missed the quirky twists that each of our families inevitably puts on the traditional meal (I missed the cheesecake my mom always makes) and spent a majority of the time talking about all of our different ways of doing Thanksgiving. Who knew that there were so many variations on turkey, stuffing, and squash?

Despite these differences, I had a fun, delicious, and incredibly memorable Thanksgiving in Oxford. I must admit that for an American holiday, the British do it pretty well! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving if you celebrate it! ❤

Click here to check out other posts in my Holly Goes Abroad series!

Have you ever celebrated Thanksgiving (or another big holiday) somewhere other than where you usually celebrate it? What’s your favorite Thanksgiving tradition? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY