Holiday Season for Me and My Family

This is my favorite time of the year in the US. Last time I was there, I made sure I spent the entire Holiday Season. I came back home after the New Year. 

Here in Turkey, Halloween is an imported occasion and only a handful people celebrate it and I am sure most of the population don't even know about it. Thanksgiving is obviously not a thing over here as well.

Most of the population is Muslim so, no Christmas celebration either but, we do love the decorations so, you can see Christmas decorations for celebration of the New Year starting in December. Many people frown upon this, saying that this is a Christian celebration but, people who enjoy the celebration of the New Year and the decorations, do not care about their opinion. Lol!

I like to decorate my home a little. So did Mom and so does SIS. I have a lot of small decorative items I bought from the US and here in Turkey. I do not decorate a tree because, honestly, I am lazy and my apartment is not even big enough for all the stuff I already own. This year I will be visiting my sister for the New Year so, I doubt I will decorate at all. May be only a few pieces on the entertainment center and on my family room windows.

I love the Thanksgiving food, a nicely roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and a pumpkin pie. Even when I am by myself, I roast a whole turkey but, my family prefers roasted chicken. So, this year I will be making that for them. 

My sister told me she wants only the roasted chicken, the gravy and the stuffing from my Thanksgiving menu. The rest of the dishes will be food everybody likes. Circassian chicken (shredded chicken, finely chopped walnuts, bread crumbs, fat free chicken stock), Russian salad (mayo, diced cucumber pickles, diced carrots, potatoes, peas), rice stuffed grape leaves (she will buy those). I do not know if she will make or buy the dessert. They are not fans of pies so, I am thinking she will make a chocolate cake mom used to love. Or she may want me to make cinnamon rolls. (I told her Cinnabon opened three stores in Istanbul and TGIF is also back. She now wants to come visit me).

I may make my menu after the New Year when I get back home. Lol! We'll see.

I miss the season in the US but, darn COVID and darn Government (USD has doubled up against TL since my last trip), a trip to the US is not possible this year. May be next year. Who knows?

Thankfully, my BFF who lives upstate NY and I talk thru WhatsApp almost every day and we watch crime dramas together online. So, although I miss being there, I do not miss her because we are in touch all the time. She started this tradition right after my mom's passing and we kept it up. Now, she has some family concerns and I am trying to be there for her. Being 5000 miles apart is not an obstacle to be besties. We have known each other since 1990 and back then, she was like a big sister to me when I was having trouble with my ex-boyfriend whom she still "lovingly" calls Shithead.

When we met, we immediately clicked. I am also good friends with her husband who is a lot older than I am. They are truly wonderful people. We have traveled together, they came to visit me, went skiing in NY and in Canada, or just stayed home and watched movies during all these years. I love to cook for them. True friends can be anywhere. Right? I just sent them a small Thaksgiving gift for the whole family to enjoy. She always has her whole family for Thanksgiving and her niece handles Christmas. I know the rest of her family well and we are also friendly too. After I got bitten by her nephew's dog, they told me I officially became part of the family, because the little devil bit everybody. Lol!

I better post this and go to bed before midnight for once. Hope, everyone is having a nice and relaxing weekend.