As I cleaned my apartment last weekend in preparation of my family’s first trip to San Francisco, I began to think about our Thanksgiving traditions. Since I don’t own a kitchen table and am quite certain I am not capable of cooking a turkey, my family will be taking a non-traditional approach to our celebration this year. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bummed not to be partaking in our regular holiday activities, but I have no doubt that eating oysters in Tomales Bay and taking photos in front of the Golden Gate Bridge will be worthy alternatives.
Because I’m fascinated by what other people do for the holidays (I believe this is also called being nosy), I asked some of my fellow Britelings to share their Thanksgiving traditions:
“In addition to my family’s annual gathering, I also do a ‘friendsgiving’ with a group of friends in SF on the Sunday before the big day. We each bring a dish, and this year we did a “favorite things” activity where we filled goodie bags for all 8 of us with some of our favorite things under $5–everyone brings one item. We had bags with fake eye lashes, Crest White Strips, lip gloss, hair ties, candles, nail polish — it was a really fun game!” – Brianna, SF City Marketing Manager
“My family is divided and holds fundamentally different beliefs on homemade vs. packaged Thanksgiving foods. Every year we have a feast of homemade dishes, but we also have the pre-made versions (canned cranberry “jelly”, Stovetop Stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, etc.) It’s like the Crips and Bloods.” – Alexa, Chicago City Marketing Manager
“My new Thanksgiving tradition is to cook a real family meal with my New York friends since we can’t all make it home for the holiday. We all bring something, and I always cook my Grandmother’s stuffing. So it’s like you are at your mom’s Thanksgiving but with fewer awkward uncles :)” – Staci, NYC City Marketing Manager
“I go to Cape Cod every year! This (pictured below) is one of the dogs at the house we always visit.” – Sara, Boston City Marketing Manager
“My Aunt Gerri makes pumpkin bread for everyone in the family. When my package arrived from Pennsylvania, it immediately transported me to family dinner.” – Vanessa, Senior PR Manager
“We always get our hands on some kind of turkey and make Pink Clouds. I want everyone to try a Pink Cloud, because it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Here’s the recipe:
1. Dutch Crunch roll (has to be Dutch Crunch)
2. Thanksgiving leftover turkey (has to be leftover)
3. Cream Cheese
4. Cranberry sauce
Put it all together and…nom!” – Tricia, Director of Visual Design
Now that you’ve some of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions, we’d love to hear yours! Share your favorites in the comments below, or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
