Berkley Center

After a long evening of traveling back to London from Barcelona, where I spent Halloween weekend, I finally reached my student residence hall. As I opened the door, something immediately struck me as strange. The pumpkins and cobwebs that had decorated the lobby before I left for Barcelona were not only removed, but were replaced with long strings of fairy lights and garland. I was confused and pulled out my phone to check the date. My calendar confirmed that it was, in fact, November 1. For many Brits, the passing of Halloween automatically signals the beginning of the Christmas season.

On November 6, a few friends and I took a short walk for the fifty-seventh annual Christmas lighting of Oxford Street. The street was absolutely packed with people shopping at stores with special offers and eating from local food trucks that had parked nearby for the occasion. We expected that the lights would turn on, we would get some hot chocolate, and leave after enjoying the display for a few minutes. Instead, we were treated to a small concert as we danced to live music from the Vamps and Louisa Johnson. Then London’s new mayor, Sadiq Khan, came onto the stage to wish us a happy start to the festive season. Finally, a countdown began, and the famous British musician Craig David flicked the switch, illuminating 1778 snowball-like orbs above the street. It was a fun and magical evening, but my friends and I couldn’t help but laugh at the premature start to the Christmas season.

Over the next couple weeks, London became increasingly festive, as the streets began to light up and sparkle with magical Christmas decorations. A few Georgetown friends visited London on the third weekend of November, and I wanted them to have an amazing experience in the city I have grown to adore. In addition to showing them the traditional landmarks, I helped them transition into a festive state by bringing them to some of London’s merriest events. During the day, we strolled around the Southbank Centre Christmas Market, eating Dutch pancakes and sipping on hot cider. At night, we went to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, gazed at the Harrods window displays, and ice-skated at Somerset House. We contemplated about how, if we were at Georgetown, we’d be hard at work, preparing to leave campus for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Finally, Thanksgiving arrived. It was so uncustomary not spending the day in upstate New York, surrounded by my family, enjoying a delicious feast with all the fixings. I could easily imagine sitting at the dinner table, listening to my sister state that she is most thankful for the food—as she does every year. Instead, the guards in the lobby put out a few pieces of pumpkin pie, and I grabbed a slice on my way out of the hall as I headed to the airport to meet up with friends in Dublin. When I reached Trinity College around midnight, Jane, my roommate from Georgetown, microwaved a plate of leftovers from the Thanksgiving dinner celebration earlier in the evening. As she set the plate and miniature apple pie down in front of me, I could not help but feel overwhelmed with emotion. 

I was immediately thankful to be spending Thanksgiving with my best friend, who went out of her way to make me feel welcome in Dublin while maintaining American tradition—despite the fact that we were not one hundred percent sure that the meat was actually turkey. I was also beyond thankful for my family, who drove an hour in the mountains to acquire cellular service, to call and wish me a safe flight and a happy holiday. Without them, I would not be afforded this amazing opportunity to study abroad for an entire year. Every day I wake up and feel absolutely blessed to be living and studying in an amazing city while also being able to travel throughout Europe. Who would have guessed that I would be spending Thanksgiving in the country where my grandparents were born, before immigrating to the United States in order to give their family a better life? My parents have worked so hard to make my life as wonderful as it is, and I will always be eternally grateful to them for my experiences abroad. 

Although I embrace London’s enthusiasm for the Christmas season, Thanksgiving is necessary to properly show gratitude for the opportunities and experiences each new day brings.