Joyeuse Mercigiving!

Joyeuse Mercigiving!
See - the French could celebrate thanksgiving if they wanted to! The holiday name translates so perfectly....kind of.

Today is Thanksgiving! And I have truly never felt less-thanksgivingy in my life! If I were not in Paris - I would already be home in the lake house, up late talking with a penguin-pajama-wearing Moeski and squeezing my yorkie, Lucie while she obsessively licked everything in sight!

I would have spent the week deciding which harvesty-flavored dessert I was going to make, and whipped it up yesterday while Moeski supervised my every whisk in her immaculate kitchen.

I would have woken up early to watch the broadway shows perform at the parade, and to find my daddy downstairs already starting on the turkey. Soon to be stuffed with David's famous stuffing that I would later eat thirds of!

Mais - I am in Paris. Where there is no Thanksgiving. It's the one thing about Paris that is unfortunate. Today in Paris will be just another Thursday. No parade, no pie, no family fun, no giving thanks. C'est vraiment trop mal.

It dosen't make sense to me really. I know that France has no ties whatever to native american and pilgrims feasting together, but they love food - and after being thankful, thanksgiving is all about eating delicious food! So isn't that reason enough to adopt another country's holiday?

So, yes. Today is going to be a bit depressing. I LOVE thanksgiving. I LOVE spending time with my family, and I LOVE pumpkim pie. But - to soften the blow of being thanksgiving-less, I am going home with Caroline to Holland for a belated-thanksgiving feast, visit of her home-town, and visit of my native country!

Yes, je suis Hollandaise! So I have long been wanting to visit Holland, and get in touch with my Dutch roots by eating pannekoeken and buying some wooden shoes! I have also long been wanting to meet Caroline's parents and see her home town! And ride around on the back of her brommer!

Saturday, we'll celebrate Thanksgiving! If I had to miss a Thanksgiving dinner, I don't know what would happen to me - aside from crying myself to sleep for weeks. Had I not had such a wonderful pal to take me to her home - I may have ended up at the "AUP Thanksgiving dinner". It's actually nice that they do it - but I can only imagine how pathetic it is!

So, today we head out for Holland! I don't really know anything about Holland, aside from giant pancakes filled with toppings. But on that basis alone I know I'm going to love it!

After dinner, my family always goes around the table and says what they are most thankful this year. So, in Kloots-family Thanksgiving tradition, I will close this post with a verrrry sappy (but very true) declaration of what I am most thankful for this year.

- For God. Who watches over us everyday, and gave us this beautiful world.
- For my amazing parents. Who I love more than I could say, and who eventually gave into my begging and pleading and let me come to Paris. Where I am spending the best 4 months of my life.
- For my incredible siblings - truly my best friends, and new niece and nephew - who are perfect little angels.
- For having met Joshua - the absolute sweetest and most amazing guy I have ever dated. Who shares my love for shake shack, Disney, and France!
- For wonderful friends - who are always there to talk to, dance-crazily, ice-cream-eat-with, and have proven to be excellent tour guides!
- And finally....for Paris! All I can say is, God - you did good with Paris! Also for crepes. And Nutella.

Joyeuse Mercigiving! I'm off to Amsterdam!