Thanksgivukkah is the name given to the holiday which is the convergence of Thanksgiving and the 1st day of Hanukkah; a once in a lifetime event, which took place on Thursday, November 28, 2013. (The next time it occurs will be 2070 and I can pretty much guarantee I won’t be there!)
How fortuitous for me that I had already accepted a Thanksgiving invitation to spend the holiday with my best friend and her husband (who are Jewish) and both sides of their family!
This had extra special meaning for me because it was also my first Thanksgiving after losing my Mother. It was just what the doctor ordered for my Dad and me.
My friends were hosting approximately 40 people, most of whom I knew. My father knew just a few people, but could that man work a room! I don’t think I saw him for most of the day except when we sat down to dinner!
My second mom was there, who was also widowed, and she and my father had a wonderful time talking all afternoon. I loved sitting at the altacocker table. The stories!
And then there was the food! My BFF is an incredible cook and her Thanksgiving dinner is always a treat: butternut squash soup, turkey and all the trimmings + a huge array of desserts!
And then there was the Hanukkah food! Her sister made the brisket (one of my favorites) which is probably the best briskets I’ve ever had in my entire life!
Plus there were all the Hanukkah traditions: lighting the menorah, the prayers, etc. Something my father and I never experienced before!
Alas, this was my first pasta-less Thanksgiving but I was respectfully asked not to bring my lasagna because the dinner was being prepared kosher-style so we could not mix meat and dairy.
Regardless, this was literally one of the greatest holidays of my life. To be with my second family, to have my father welcomed to the table, surrounded by so much love – such a comfort at a difficult time.
And to spend not one, but two, special holidays with friends and family that mean the world to me.
I have so much to be thankful for.
Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving from across the pond!
Do you have a special holiday memory? Please share it with us in the comments.
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What a lovely memory! I’m one of those who knows first-hand the charisma of your Dad. He could charm anybody he met!
Well, you were very special to him – one of his adopted daughters!