Thanksgiving
Is your life more Chore-ish than Joy-ish at the moment?
Ready. Set. Go.
It’s that time of year again. And in the hustle and bustle thrust upon me, I’ve been thinking a lot of how to experience all of the fun and celebration but not feel exhausted and overwhelmed by all of it. Is there a possible happy place where your life is full of joyful connection and celebration but where your mind is restful and present? Not that my ADHD brain ever is. It goes into mach speed at this time of year and makes life just feel more chore-ish than joy-ish.
Am I organised for the thing? Are the cards written? Did I finish the guest list? Did I rsvp? Have I bought teacher gifts, kid gifts, friend and colleague gifts? I need to make a wreath. Bake cookies. Shop. Lists and Lists and more Lists. Some things get done. Some don’t. The shelfy elf is not welcome in our home.
I spend a lot time in planning and wishful thinking and then forgiveness. I only have one brain. Two hands. And there are only so many hours in a day. Focus on the good. Don’t look past the joy. Don’t forget to be grateful.
And in this moment comes Thanksgiving. It’s another thing on this list. But it forces me to pause and center. What is actually most important here? How can I change the narrative to gratitude?
Thanksgiving is not about gifts (which is a beautiful contrast to its big sister, neighbour holiday that overshadows all this time of year). It’s a holiday about gratitude (literally – the name). It’s about family. And it’s about food. On the 4th Thursday of November in the US – the nation stops. Families gather. Wonderful, traditional meals are cooked. Aunts, cousins, grandparents, friends – make their way across the country to be with loved ones. They share stories and express gratitude for the blessings around them. For expats around the world – whether we get the chance to turkey or not – we remember these moments. For some of us, we may share these traditions with friends and recreate new thanksgivings far from the place it was born.
I’ve been lucky enough to do this. And in each of these experiences I’m reminded that actually, the holiday has little to do with my homeland or being American. My friends in Australia and before that, the UK, have embraced the holiday with open arms. They get stuck into giving thanks around the table – sharing joys and sorrows (something that comes less easily than my US counterparts 😆) and eat sweet potatoes with marshmallows and pumpkin pie and the moment is just as precious (more so?) in my new home.
And with Red Gum, we use this month – in honour of Thanksgiving – to have our Month of Gratitude. Under the banner of Our Meaty Impact initiative, where we dream up ways to give back – this November we’re doing all of these things:
- Donating $1 of all meat sales to support community initiatives (so far we’re at around $3k for this)
- Donating products and funds to the Mornington Community Support Center
- Launching our Helping Hams program (thanks to partners, Vic Meats) where we donate a smoked ham or turkey to a locacal – Mornington Peninsula & Frankston family in need.
- Launching our xmas gift collection
- Donating to Women’s Community Shelters working to build the Peninsula’s only women’s shelter for families escaping violence.
Huge thank you to our partners in crime, Vics Meats and O’Connors Beef without who help us make these things happen. And thanks to our team – who pick up this work on top of the rest.
So this Thanksgiving, whether you turkey or not – take just a moment if that’s all you’ve got in between the lists of all the things you need to do and get – to think about all of the things you have. And all of the people in the world right now who are not as lucky. Nobody needs an elf. Actually. Remember this.
From our family to yours today – Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Month of Gratitude. Happy Thursday. We are wishing you all safety and peace and love ❤