I’m an overthinker. This puts me in good company with women generally, as we tend to analyze and fill in the blanks of our days and interactions, much to our distraction and occasional chagrin. But my overthinking started one Thanksgiving when I was about 8 and had a particular epiphany about what it means to be Jewish in America. No, really.

When I was a little kid, I adored watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York on television.  Clearly, my parents somehow encouraged this obsession: I’m sure it came in pretty handy for keeping me out of the way during Thanksgiving meal preparations.

I’d study the parade lineup in the New York Times as though it was a performance intended for me and me alone. Then, I’d sit down way too close to the TV, crossing my corduroy- or velour-clad legs, to watch the whole thing, start to finish. I loved watching the happy lipsticked smiles of the baton twirlers from Kansas and Missouri. I’d watch the hyper-enthusiastic facial expressions of spandex-clad dancers and the determined stride of the balloon-anchor-walker-people, whatever they were called. I’d even enjoy the wintry-bright cheer emanating from Katie Couric and Willard Scott.

But most of all, I loved the feeling that I was doing something that everyone else in America was doing. Now, as an adult, I’m well aware that most people don’t sit parked in front of their televisions watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade. But as a kid, I just assumed that this was the Thanksgiving equivalent of going to synagogue. This must be what people did in the morning, and in the afternoon, you ate, just like every Jewish holiday I’d ever celebrated.

I loved it that every family I knew – Jewish, non-Jewish, whatever – was all doing the same thing. I didn’t realize at the time that we were freaks because no one in the house cared about football. All I knew was that I had a day off from school to be thankful, to eat turkey and to be American. And it wasn’t like Sukkot where even the other Jewish kids didn’t know what holiday I was celebrating – this was one that everyone could understand. It felt good.

But when I was 8, I distinctly remember the end of the parade. With great to-do, the end of the parade – “the moment you’ve all been waiting for!” – came. And it was…Santa Claus. Read the rest of this entry →

• Posted in Parenting
• Tags: American Jew, featured, Jewish American, thanksgiving

Delicious AND fun!

I don’t know about you, but now that I have a kid, I’m much more into holidays. I’m loving teaching my daughter family traditions–and making up new ones. Recently, I’ve been trying to figure out how to explain Thanksgiving to her. Taking it down to a 2-year-old level is a bit tough, but I think for now we’re going to stick with the basics: we’re thankful for what we have, we get to see our family, and we eat a big turkey.

Earlier this week Jordana Horn posted a request for some Thanksgiving recipe help, and I think I might have found the best Jewish Thanksgiving recipe on the planet. Are you ready for this?

Turkey Challah. That’s right. Our friend and Kveller contributor Ariela Pelaia does some incredibly inventive things with her challah (and her toddler) and recently, they made this gorgeous turkey-shaped challah. Though it’s time-intensive, it’s also fun-intensive. Sounds like a perfect project for the Shabbat before Thanksgiving–or even to make for Thanksgiving itself. Who says challah and Thanksgiving don’t go together?

Enjoy–and Shabbat Shalom!

• Posted in Activities, Recipes
• Tags: challah, recipe, thanksgiving, toddler

I’ve never been a Thanksgiving-er. Don’t get me wrong: I’m all for gratitude, family, and big meals. It’s just that Judaism affords us to have all of the above pretty much all year round. Between Passover seders, Sukkot meals, Rosh Hashanah family gatherings, and Friday night Shabbat dinners, there are ample opportunities for us Jews to get our food-and-family on. So the idea of entering the everyone’s-included Supermarket Scrum for things like squash and sweet potatoes seems comparatively unappealing.

My family’s Thanksgiving was always a relatively low-key affair, followed by all of us going to see a movie. I’m not going to miss my movie opportunity this year, accompanied by sleeping baby in car seat (crossed fingers), but apparently I am hosting Thanksgiving for the first time in my life. One word: yikes! Not only that, but I just got the memo that this thing is happening next Thursday! Are you guys all aware of this?

I love perusing Food & Wine, occasionally even making a recipe from there, but apparently a main food group of Thanksgiving is butter – and, being kosher, this doesn’t quite go with the whole turkey thing. I need pareve help: stat!

Let’s share. Anyone got any great recipes for pareve appetizers, soups, sides, desserts?

• Posted in Activities
• Tags: kosher, recipes, thanksgiving