Thank you for visiting! This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using these links (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Not too long ago, my husband, kids, and I spent about six years living in the Czech Republic. And as much as I love keeping my Slovak traditions alive here in the U.S., I really missed American traditions while we were living abroad—and Thanksgiving was a big one. So every year, we made it a point to celebrate…with friends of course.
Every Thanksgiving, we’d have our fellow Slovak friends visit from Prague to experience the tradition. It didn’t take much for them to love the purpose of the holiday—family, friends, food, gratitude, and of course…(American) Football. The most surprising part for them? The amount of food.
But celebrating had its challenges and was anything but easy. Between getting a turkey, the tiny appliances, and the lack of ingredients, pulling off a Thanksgiving feast in Europe was often an adventure of its own. Here are some highlights…
The turkey hunt
Unlike the States, Turkeys aren’t exactly lining the grocery shelves in the Czech Republic. To get one, we had to visit a butcher shop, place an order several days in advance, and cross our fingers we’d get a small bird, for a reason you’ll learn below. And every year, despite my requests, we’d end up with the opposite.
The Art of Cooking
Storing the butter-coated bird in our European-size fridge was a challenge, but doable. Roasting a 20+ lb. turkey in our European-size oven…mission impossible, but my husband was always up for the challenge. And it’s an experience we’ll never forget. Cooking the turkey wasn’t the only challenge. Our overworked small oven had the job of cooking all the meal staples…this took a bit of juggling and timing precision. Somehow, we managed to pull off our holiday feast.
A Labor of Love
It’s the little things you don’t realize you’ll miss until you don’t have them. Take canned cream of mushroom soup, for example. Where we lived, it wasn’t a grocery store regular. For our green bean casserole, we ended up making it from scratch…which, yes, tasted amazing—but it was definitely more work. It’s things like this that made the meal feel even more special while making you appreciate the convenience of home.
A Time for Change
Thanksgiving Day football—another tradition my husband wasn’t ready to give up. But living in the Czech Republic meant a time zone challenge: those noon games back home didn’t kick off until 7 p.m. for us. By the time the later games started, it was bedtime. No problem, we’d fill the afternoon with movies and recordings of last Sunday’s games. Even with the altered itinerary in what was watched, it still gave us another little slice of home to go along with the meal.
What I found
Through it all, I wouldn’t change a thing…the mishaps and challenges became our stories, and those stories became our memories. But the ability to share Thanksgiving with friends who’d never experienced it before made it all worthwhile.
Looking back, I’m grateful for our time in Europe, and that we found a way to keep this American tradition alive while living abroad. It’s a reminder that this holiday is all about bringing people together, no matter where you are in the world.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using these links (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
