The Calendar Doesn't Pass the Vibe Check
Thanksgiving at Hard Rock wasn’t on my bingo card, but here we are.
In October 2024 — just a couple of months after our move to Valencia — it started to sink in that holidays would be forever changed for me. While friends and family in Tennessee and Kentucky were pulling out their sweaters and winter jackets for the season, I was still walking around Valencia in a T-shirt and shorts most days.
October has always been my favorite month. For me, it means pumpkin patches, Starbucks seasonal drinks, cozy sweatshirts, crisp air, colorful leaves, the best weather of the year, and birthdays (mine and my son’s).
When my favorite month arrived in Valencia, the shift from September to October wasn’t … noticeable.
Instead of the brilliant reds of Japanese maples, the city’s palm trees stayed green, swaying gently in the breeze coming off the Mediterranean Sea.
I didn’t realize how much I’d miss that distinct shift in the seasons.
For me, fall is the precursor to all things holiday magic: first comes Halloween, then Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the grand finale – New Year’s Eve.
Living abroad means the calendar doesn’t always pass the vibe check.
In Spain, people do celebrate Halloween, but it’s mostly the American contingent in nearly every city that organizes the trick-or-treating events. And by “celebrate,” I mean you’ll find Halloween decor in the stores, harvest-themed items in Pepco, and candy I’m not familiar with at Mercadona.
(Pro tip: If you find one of these trick-or-treat events, it’ll be lit. The organizers in Valencia raised over €8,000 for this year’s event – candy galore!)
My kids celebrate Halloween at their school, as most schools in the area do, complete with costumes, parties, games, and a themed lunch. They’re more than ready to move on to the next big event: Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is special to me. There are no expectations whatsoever. It’s all about gathering to share your favorite foods, seeing people you might not have seen all year, and sitting down for hours of catching up with your loved ones. If I had to choose a favorite holiday, this one might be it.
But this holiday, as I know it, doesn’t exist in Spain.
This will be the second year we haven’t been in Kentucky for a Thanksgiving meal. If I’m honest, Thanksgiving hasn’t felt the same since my mom passed away in 2020. Special, yes, but different.
And so, last year, knowing we weren’t going to be in Kentucky for the holiday, we sat down for a Thanksgiving meal at the Hard Rock Café in Valencia. Our kids don’t really care for the typical Thanksgiving dishes, so they had the option to eat something else, while Will and I opted for the traditional dinner.
We’ll be back at the Hard Rock again this year, and maybe this will become our new tradition — at least for now.
Since our kids were small, Will and I have always spent Christmas Eve at my brother’s house with family, leaving Christmas Day open for gifts and lazing in our pajamas. To cushion the blow of losing that familiarity, we took the kids to Madrid the weekend before Christmas, where we explored the city, enjoyed the holiday lights, and embraced the fun of a holiday spent in a brand-new place.
I’m not sure what we’re doing for Christmas this year. Maybe we’ll be in Valencia. Maybe Vigo or Granada. It’s all still somewhat up in the air.
We’ve had fun making these new memories as a family. I miss spending holidays with the people we love – but I think I’d miss this, too.
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Thanksgiving at the Hard Rock sounds like a fun family tradition. We’re Canadians, so celebrate thanksgiving in October, and decided to do a modified version this year in France. My husband made green beans and sweet potatoes and we picked up a rotisserie chicken and tarte tatin - French spins on the classics!
We get used to things don’t we. Being an Aussie all the holidays you speak of don’t exist here either, Halloween is gaining some momentum but only in a capitalist way really. I’m not sure I’d miss any national holiday here at all, but yes, the people and my native tongue most definitely which is why I will always call Australia home I think, just interspersed with long chunks abroad. Perfect balance for me.