The lovely Lorna over at Gin & Lemonade With A Twist Blog has started a new writing prompt.
She hasn’t named her challenge, so I have – Lorna’s Gin-spiring Prompt!
This week, we have the word: Friendsgiving
Now, I am not Canadian or American, so here in the UK we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving – it’s straight from Remembrance Day to Christmas, in our National celebrations.
But of course, I hear a lot about it, with all my friends and family, both blog ones and real life ones, who live on the other side of the Atlantic.
And Friendsgiving – sounds like something cooked up in the era of Friends! But I know it wasn’t. It appears to be a way to celebrate Thanksgiving, with the ‘family’ you choose, i.e. your friends. In a time where many are living away from where their loved ones live, and with increasing costs, it isn’t always easy to get back home for the special day, so groups of friends celebrate together instead, or they choose to have their Friendsgiving just before, or after the real deal, so they can celebrate with those other special people in their lives.
I think that’s kinda cute.
Back when I was at University, the girls I lived and I became very close. I was like the big sister to them, and we used to do something similar for Christmas. A proper Christmas dinner with all the trimmings a week or so before the actual day, so we could celebrate and exchange presents with each other. I played mother, and cooked, then we enjoyed the meal, and each others company before we all travelled back to our homes for the festive season.
So not Friendsgiving, but ChristMates!
And I look forward to another one of those ChristMates meals next week as my Tootie Frootie group of mummy friends are getting together for a festive meal, and a shot of Secret Santa too!
I’ll have another ChristMates meal when we have our work Christmas do too, as I consider the majority of my colleagues to be friends. (And there will be another Secret Santa there too!)
So, I’ll leave you with this thought: Whether you are celebrating with friends or family, I wish you a wonderful meal full of thanks for the people surrounding you, and all you have been blessed with this year.
Happy Thanks(Friends)giving!
But I Smile Anyway... 