Thanksgiving - Any Way You Like it
Hello, and welcome to our new subscribers!
This edition of Traveling Money will be hitting your inbox the Saturday before Thanksgiving. For those of you outside the US, I’m sure you know, but Thanksgiving is a BIG DEAL here in America.
Dedicating a day of thanks to a harvest is also practiced in Canada, Australia, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Liberia (and more). Similarly named festival holidays also occur in Germany and Japan.
Let me say that some people here in America lose their minds over this food-fueled holiday. I get it. I mean, we get permission to stuff ourselves all day long. We watch football. We get to yell at the TV. Maybe we watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Some people even get a 4-day weekend.
Having worked retail my whole adult life, I never did. For years I left my house at 10pm on Thanksgiving night to prepare my store for a Black Friday midnight opening. Black Friday was like our Super Bowl, so we worked late Wednesday night and early Friday morning.
It was crazy fun, and I’m also thrilled that I never have to do that again. Cheers to everyone who worked that shift with me - you will be forever in my heart.
Thanksgiving Evolution
What I want to tell you about today is how my Thanksgiving has evolved over the years.
Growing up, I would go to my dad’s house for a formal, dress-up Thanksgiving and then head to my mom’s house for an informal snack fest that involved binging movies. It was the best balance.
My stepmom is a fantastic cook. She would do so much work making all this beautiful food for us. She made it look so easy. This woman could create a gourmet weeknight meal with two soup cans, something she pulled out of the freezer, and a bottle of wine. I still don’t know how she does it.
It wasn’t until I tried to make a Thanksgiving meal myself that I realized how much work it took. Good grief.
One year, I tried to make all the holiday foods. It took forever. It was my one day off from work. I was so tired. I was only cooking for the two of us. My husband (who helped me and is a fantastic cook) looked at me as we sat down to eat.
“Why are we doing this?” He asked. “I don’t even really like Thanksgiving food.”
“I don’t even know,” I replied.
After that, we decided to change what we did every year. Sometimes we cooked steak. One year we made pumpkin ravioli. Another time we went to a fancy French restaurant and sat at the bar. These are all great options.
Do whatever you want. Do you even like turkey? If not, don’t eat it. It’s your free time so eat something you love.
Our time off could be filled with activities that bring us joy.
Retail taught me that you can spend late nights and early mornings with strangers and still have a blast.
Having a formal and then a casual meal was fun when I was a kid. I know how to set the table properly and which fork to use at a fancy dinner. That’s all thanks to my dad. Thanks to my stepmom, I saw that food cooked at home could be gourmet.
My mom showed me I could gather snacks, bake a pie, and graze. It’s still a holiday. My brother taught me that I better eat my share of the pie, or it would be his. My husband taught me to make my own rules about the day and think about what I actually wanted.
Retail taught me that you can spend late nights and early mornings with strangers and still have a blast.
There are fifteen million ways to spend Thanksgiving. Whatever you decide to do is the right thing. If turkey, football, parades, and mashed potatoes are your jam, then do it. If you want to do nothing besides eat pie for breakfast and go back to bed, I’m with you.
It doesn’t matter. Spend time with the people that do matter.
A special Thank You to all of you that have subscribed and supported this newsletter. Your subscriptions allow me to do what I love and build a community of support and positivity.
I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving, whatever you decide to do. Pour your favorite drink, put your feet up, and pet your pets.
Until next time.
Peace,
Kit
A True History
If you want to read more about the true history of Thanksgiving and how the story got whitewashed, please read this excellent piece by Claire Bugos written for Smithsonian Mag. The Myths of the Thanksgiving Story and the Lasting Damage They Imbue
Have a tradition or celebration you’d like to share?
I’m always on the lookout for personal stories for Traveling Money. If you’d like to write your own story, I welcome that. I’ll also write it for you! Share your story with the world. We can all learn from each other.
Give me a shout by simply hitting reply to this newsletter, or you can download the Substack app and join the chat room. 💬
Kit Campoy is a former retail leader turned freelance writer based in Southern California. She covers Web3, travel, leadership, retail, writing, and more. She also writes personal essays on Medium. Connect with Kit on LinkedIn, DeSo, and Twitter.
Discover Wines You Love
Bright Cellars is the monthly wine club that matches you to delicious wines, tailored to your tastes. Created to not only deliver excellent wine, but to also give the added bonus of learning about your wines and own tastes.
If you order with this link, I’ll earn a small commission. ✌🏻
Get 50% off the first 6 bottle order!
Balance is the key! For holidays especially. Thanks!