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Thanksgiving Without the Turkey-Day Atmosphere (Week 47)

Nov 28, 2025
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🍂 Life, just in German — Week 47

 

This past Thursday, I woke up with this unmistakable feeling in my body — a soft little tug that said, “Today is Thanksgiving.”
Except… outside my window, it was a regular Thursday in Germany.

The buses were running.
Kids were going to school.
The bakery was selling the same BrĂśtchen as always.
No one was basting anything.

And the strangest part?
Nothing special was happening here.

But inside me, something still was.

Growing up in the U.S., Thanksgiving had its own gravitational pull.
You could feel the whole country slowing down together — airports bursting, ovens warming, families gathering in whatever constellation they came in. You didn’t have to explain anything: the day explained itself.

But in Germany?
You’re the only one holding the meaning of the day.
It’s tender. It’s weird. And it can feel like being slightly out of sync with the world.

 


 

The Year I Tried to Recreate It Anyway

There was a year — actually, there were a few — when I tried to recreate Thanksgiving for my kids here.

I made the big meal.
Set the table.
Created the moment.

And the food was lovely… but something felt off.

Halfway through, I realized I was the only person at that table who had Thanksgiving memories.
The only one who felt the day.

My kids were sweet and curious. But without the collective rhythm — the national pause, the shared nostalgia — it felt like exactly what it was:

A nice dinner on a normal Thursday.

You can cook the food.
Decorate the house.
Tell the stories.
But you can’t import the emotional ecosystem - the collective spirit.

And that’s okay.

 


 

The Cultural Mismatch: Black Friday Without Thanksgiving

One of the oddly funny things about living in Germany is that almost everyone knows Black Friday — but many have no idea it’s connected to Thanksgiving.

People see the sale, not the season.

In the U.S., Black Friday exists because of Thanksgiving:
you celebrate first, and then the Christmas shopping season begins.

Here, that emotional anchor is missing — so the meaning doesn’t land the same way.

And the origins? They’re not as glossy as the marketing.
In the 1960s, police in Philadelphia used “Black Friday” to describe the chaos of jammed streets, overwhelmed stores, and unhappy crowds the day after Thanksgiving. It wasn’t festive at all.

By the 1980s, retailers reframed it:
“Black” as in profit — the day sales finally went into the black.
That more positive spin is what helped the tradition spread globally.

So Black Friday is everywhere in Germany…
while the holiday that gives it meaning simply isn’t.

It’s one more small cultural mismatch — a reminder that some traditions travel easily, and others only make sense inside their original ecosystem.

 


 

So What Do We Do With That?

Over the years, I’ve stopped trying to recreate Thanksgiving the way it “should” be.

Instead, I’ve learned to create meaning in smaller, quieter ways — the kind that actually fit my life here.

If you’re navigating that same tender Thursday, here are a few gentle options: choose what feels right for you:

  • Light a candle for presence

  • Send a message to someone who matters

  • Write down three things you’re grateful for

  • Cook one nostalgic dish (not the whole feast)

  • Share a tiny tradition with your kids or partner

  • Or borrow a local rhythm — light an Advent candle early, take a dusk walk, lean into the season that does exist here

There’s no right way to do this.
There’s only the way that feels honest to you today.

And if you chose something — or even if you chose nothing — I’d love to hear how the day felt.

 


 

☕ The Café Table — This Week’s Curated Little Things

 

🎧 Podcast Highlight — Week 47: "Thanksgiving Without the Turkey"

This week’s episode goes deeper into the emotional reality of holding a holiday alone abroad — with stories, language notes, and tender reassurances.
A soft listen for a soft day.

 

📍 Cultural Tip — How to Explain Thanksgiving in German

Try: „Heute ist Thanksgiving in den USA. Das ist für mich ein besonderer Tag.“
It’s warm, clear, and opens a gentle doorway to connection.

 

📸 Behind the Scenes — My “Just One Dish” Tradition

I posted a photo of the one nostalgic thing I make every year — not a full feast, just something small that anchors me.

 

🍴 What’s Cooking — German Comfort with a Twist

A warm bowl of Kürbissuppe can absolutely count as Thanksgiving comfort food. Add roasted pumpkin seeds, a swirl of cream or pumpkin seed oil, and suddenly it’s a moment.

 

📚 This Week’s Read — “Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home”

A beautiful companion for expats navigating identity, place, and softness.

 

🧳 Destination — A Quiet Walk at Dusk

Late November in Germany is moody in the best possible way. The air changes. The world hushes. Go walk in it.

 

🌍 Around Wiesbaden / Rhein-Main

Candle-lit Advent concerts and winter readings are popping up now — grounding, gentle, and very German.

 

🛠️ Tools & Tricks — A1 Sentence for Grounding

„Ich bin dankbar für…“
Use it with anything.
Use it today.

 

💬 Playtime — Phrase of the Week

„Ich mache es heute auf meine Weise.“
I’m doing it my way today.
Perfect for days when traditions don’t translate.

 

🧭 From Next Level German

New December episodes are coming — all about Advent, German winter rhythms, and cultural fluency you can actually feel.

 

✅ Your 3 Tiny Wins This Week

  1. Name one thing you’re grateful for in German.

  2. Choose one tiny action that makes today yours.

  3. Tell one person what you did — in any language.

 


 

Thanks for being here

 

Living between cultures is delicate work.
Traditions arrive in pieces.
Meaning shifts.
We shift.

But you’re doing beautifully.

If this week stirred anything for you — longing, nostalgia, a tiny reclaimed ritual — hit reply and tell me. I would truly love to hear.

 

Warmly,
Christine

 

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