US diplomats, expats set to celebrate Thanksgiving Day

Millions of Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving Thursday and in namma ooru, diplomats working at the US Consulate are geared up for the celebrations. Sudden incessant rains haven’t dampened their spirits or even Thanksgiving get-together plans.

We met three American officers Kathleen Hosie, Press Officer, Kelsey Ann Lyle, Co-CLO-Coordinator and Dexter Bad Bear, Information Management Assistant at the US Consulate office to get an idea about the Thanksgiving Day celebrations in their homeland. Though Kathleen misses her family in US Virgin Islands and the aroma of herbs and roast turkey, she is happy to celebrate Thanksgiving in Chennai. “Thanksgiving is the day when family members come together and celebrate. This is one event we celebrate regardless of any faith and ethnicity. We invite friends and relatives — we chat, prepare the traditional meal, play games and have fun. Before the sumptuous meal at 4 pm, we do volunteering services at our neighbourhood. We serve food to homeless people and take part in other charity activities. Apart from this, we go for Turkey Drive to raise money for the needy,” she says.

Watching football with the family is another tradition they follow. “Well, it depends on how we are interested in the game. That said, most of the Americans are die-hard football fans!” she smiles.

Kelsey Ann Lyle hails from California and she remembers Thanksgiving celebrations during her childhood. “Before sitting together for lunch, we go around the dining table and say something that we wanted to convey to the family. It can be a word of gratitude or an announcement. After the meal, we go for a walk in the neighbourhood,” she reminisces.

We quizzed them about the lavish spread and Kathleen replied, “We roast turkey with various stuffing. We also serve mashed potatoes and lots of cooked vegetables. Dessert includes pumpkin pie, apple pie and pecan pie. For kids, we make sparkling apple cider. While I was a kid, my mom used to make turkey roast following a classic recipe. But now, the cooking preparation has changed. People have started to incorporate various methods like Latin, Philippine style, etc.”

Dexter Bad Bear, a Native American, has already made plans for Thanksgiving Day — he will be hosting a party for his friends in the city. Dexter is a mix of Montana’s Crow tribe and Washington’s Yakama tribe and the celebrations are even grander in their community. “We love hosting a huge number of people and it will be always houseful during Thanksgiving. I have five sisters and I love cooking for them. We usually roast three Turkeys, with different stuffing in each. My specialty is yams topped with marshmallow,” he says with a big smile.

Friday that follows the Thanksgiving Day is called Black Friday and is regarded as the first day of the Christmas shopping season. “There will be a huge sale across the country and it’s fun to shop with family and friends. After the Thanksgiving Day, we put up the Christmas tree at our houses,” Kelsey shares.