But the one good thing about Halloween was that when it was over, it meant this:
Starbucks red cups = Christmas. So in case you didn't get the memo, if you have received a red cup or have seen the red cups, it's Christmas. If not, go get yourself one. Hot bevs only, people, don't go crazy getting frappacinos; you'll be given an ordinary clear cup.
The time frame goes like this:
October = Pumpkin, pumpkin, and more pumpkin and a little bit of Halloween.
November before Thanksgiving = Also known as "Nearly Christmas", the start of Starbucks red cups, more pumpkin with a side of pumpkin. But now it's acceptable to drink Peppermint Mocha and Peppermint Hot Chocolate.
Thanksgiving = Parade, last acceptable day to eat pumpkin (so get as much in as you can!), fighting off the tryptophan effect, and if you're my family, a hefty buffet of Thanksgiving appropriate foods (we don't do the whole "sit down and be thankful thing").
After Thanksgiving = Christmas. I don't care what anyone says... Every single day after Thanksgiving is Christmas. It just is.
So, now that I'm in England, my time frame is all messed up!
They don't celebrate Thanksgiving here! What am I going to do about my pumpkin and peppermint ingesting time frame? WHEN WILL I KNOW IT'S APPROPRIATELY CHRISTMAS?!
I asked some cool English peeps.... They all agreed that Christmas begins with the first viewing of the "Holidays are comin'" Coca Cola advert. If you are not familiar with it, go on YouTube and type that in. If you're not smiling and dancing while it's playing, you've clicked the wrong video.
I'm sad I can't properly celebrate Thanksgiving with the Parade and a day of binge eating, but at least I have the Coca Cola advert to look forward to!
Sidenote, the trees are putting on their autumn outfits.
Don't mind me, just running around a car park taking pictures of the trees. They don't change colors where I'm from! |
Florida trees keep the same outfits year round, kind of like Florida people! No cold weather to deal with for us! Trees, can you change to green and red so that I know when it's Christmas here please? Just sprout some antlers while you're at it too.
Have a great weekend!
Which is your favorite autumn/winter holiday to celebrate? Halloween? Thanksgiving? Christmas? Hanukkah? When do you start getting into the holiday spirit? Any expats know how to deal with the lack of Thanksgiving across the pond??
This is too funny. Maybe you could celebrate Thanksgiving over there anyways? Then you'll know. But at least they were able to give you a way to tell in addition to the Thanksgiving holiday!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to have my own little celebration over here! But they don't get the day off of work obviously so it'll just be another random Thursday. And no Macy's Thanksgiving day parade :(
Deletedude, host your own Thanksgiving! It'll be a great way to start making traditions with your man :)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to! Only I need to figure out how to properly work a gas stove first.... seriously, "gas mark 3" or however it is means nothing to me. I'd be satisfied if I could just cook a chicken instead of turkey and just load up on pumpkin pie!
Deletedude, host your own Thanksgiving! It'll be a great way to start making traditions with your man :)
ReplyDeleteWe have a Thanksgiving dinner every year and IT IS THE BEST EVER. I've come to prefer our UK Thanksgiving to my previous American tradition. Our English friends get super excited about taking part in such a mysterious tradition and they go BAT-SHITE for pumpkin pie.
ReplyDeleteI take the day off every year, too, or the homesickness monkey would jump on my back and not shift until Black Friday...
UGH Black Friday. Won't miss that one bit!
DeleteMaybe next year when I'm not so consumed with wedding preparation and stuff I will host a Thanksgiving for all my English friends! But I won't share any pumpkin pie!! That's all mine!! :)
I always say that once the starbucks red cups are out that it is socially acceptable to start listening to Christmas music.
ReplyDelete