Thanksgiving, and Seville

La Comédie in all it's Christmas glory.

 

Thanksgiving, that uniquely American holiday. And we are never more aware of how unique than when we are away from our home country. Such as we are now, in France. 

This year we were able to have a real Thanksgiving. Last year where pandemic lockdowns limited our get together to a brief, almost clandestine meeting in the streets where we exchanged the neatly packaged dishes we’d each contributed; once back in our own homes we enjoyed a Zoom dinner. It was kinda fun, but it ain’t nothin’ like the real thing! 

This year we hosted nine people in our apartment. They were mostly American ex-pats, although we did have one French guest, our friend Xavier (unfortunately, his wife Sylvie had been called out of town for a professional training; on Thanksgiving!) 

Another one of Mark's long-armed selfies.

Of course, in France Thanksgiving is just another Thursday (or jeudi, as it’s known here). Fortunately, turkey is not hard to find. Bits and pieces of turkey (legs, breast meat) are usually available all year, with whole birds being served only on major holidays like Christmas or Easter. But Kate—who took on the task of finding a bird—had no problem ordering one from a butcher, given a couple of weeks’ notice. (And she reported that when she went to pick it up, she was the first to arrive of some seven Americans who had special orders!) 

We did have a considerable discussion as to the best time to eat, with some favoring early afternoon, and others seeing no reason not to wait until the usual dinner time. We finally settled on 4PM. Apart from that, though, I was surprised—and pleased—to see our diverse Thanksgiving memories were remarkable similar: the family gathering, with those odd aunts and uncles we rarely saw; the mashed potatoes; cranberry sauce; baked yams (although with or without tiny marshmallows is a hotly debated issue). And, of course, the kids’ table. 

Thanksgiving dinner preparations in full swing.

Now, with that special jeudi long past, we have moved on to the Christmas season. The Christmas market has been set up in the esplanade just off the main square, two long rows of pre-fab huts selling jewelry and plush toys and handicrafts, soaps and perfumes. Plus, of course the special seasonal foods, and hot spiced wine to fight off the chill of a Mediterranean December. 

Moving back in time a few hours, I'm thinking: NOW what do I do?!

The Comedie, Montpellier’s main square, has its decorations, and its tree; the streets are adorned with festive lights; and the public PA is broadcasting classic American Christmas carols (something I can do without, frankly). And this year we seemed to make it through Black Friday (yes, the day after Thanksgiving when every store has special sales) without too much trauma.  

Montpellier's Christmas market.

Our friend Kate has been playing around with filters on her iPhone: We very much like the results!

Pleased as we are to see Montpellier putting on her holiday finest, we will soon be leaving. We had established a tradition of going to Seville, Spain, for Christmas and the end of the year. At first it was for the weather—while it never gets really cold in the south of France, we’re spoiled Californians, and anything below 10°C (that’s 50°F) seems like an imposition. But after our first year of exposure to the delights of Seville we were very happy to return because Christmas and New Year are just so great there! The beauty of the buildings, the elegance of the city and the people, and the old-world charm combined with the exuberance of the Spanish have all combined to pull us there every year. 

Well, except for… yeah, nasty old Mr. Covid. But this year things have opened up again (so far!), and we are more than excited to be there once again. Plus, the establishment of a direct plane flight from Montpellier to Seville makes the travel part oh so easy. (Not so the return, though—that will require a flight to Marseille, then a train ride, and may also involve a bus or two).  

This year in Seville it seems we will be accompanied by something of an entourage. Well, not really! But there will be a number of people—mostly Americans—we know here in Montpellier who will be coming to Seville. Not with us, really, but while we are there. It gives us a chance to share what we’ve discovered about Seville, and show off a bit.

And, of course, our return to Seville this year will be considerably sweetened by the presence of our daughter, Nina. She married Riki, a Sevillano, about a year ago, in the midst of the California lockdown. Now they are in Seville. So we are looking at a tremendous family reunion, with Nina and Riki and his extended family!

More from Kate: the package that is this year's holiday centerpiece on La Comédie, and the opera building with the Christmas tree...

        Next up: We're going to Seville! I know we'll find much to report on there.