I’ve always loved the American tradition of Thanksgiving. This is perhaps the one holiday left that hasn’t fallen prey to materialism (Black Friday, however, is a different story). We don’t spend the weeks leading up to it stressed about finding gifts or the perfect outfit to wear. Instead, we show up for dinner only with our favorite recipes and our stretchiest pants. For the most part, Thanksgiving has remained true to its intention as a family holiday: a time to spend with loved ones and to reflect back on the year and count our blessings.
It’s always hard spending the holidays in a different country, and Thanksgiving is probably the worst of all. Here, it’s just a normal Thursday as usual… and it feels strange, like something is missing. I find myself yearning for anything to acknowledge the holiday (this year, in the form of a huge plate of carbs and slice of tart). But nothing can replicate the feeling of Thanksgiving.
I’m nostalgic for the Thanksgivings past when my family happily gathered around the dinner table. It’s been a few years since we shared this meal, and now this year, due to some more recent family differences, my sister is not returning home for the holiday either. It makes me sad that despite everything my family has been through this year, we still can’t work out our differences and find ways to drive each other apart.
But even so, there’s still a lot to be thankful for this year. More than ever, in fact. So even though there is absolutely nothing to celebrate here and no one in my family is spending Thanksgiving together this year, I don’t want to just let it quietly pass by.
So this year, I wrote down everything I’m thankful for – some silly and some more serious – in hand lettered word collage.
click for full size
I find the process of hand lettering to be tedious yet rewarding. Unlike typing, there is no undo button for mistakes. And thus, each stroke must be carefully placed, each letter intentionally crafted. Taking so long to do this made me pay more attention to what I’m writing. I lingered long on each word, really letting its sentiment sink in.
Even though our family still has a long way to go to becoming whole, above all, I’m just thankful that everyone is healthy. This summer’s scare with my sister made me realize just how fragile life can be. It also made me see how a family can get through everything and how together, we are strong. So I’m sure we will gather around a Thanksgiving table again someday, but for today… just being healthy is enough reason to celebrate.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends! And to everyone, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a reader.
How are you celebrating this year? What are you most thankful for? If you’re from a different country, do you have a similar holiday?
That is a lovely list/collage!! Happy Thanksgiving to you… it is always strange celebrating it abroad but I’m one of those weirdos that thinks you can create that feeling of Thanksgiving (or Christmas) no matter where you are. And yes….. health! I am glad your sister is healthy now… health is the number one thing I try to remember.
Thanks Cynthia! I hope you were able to create the feeling of Thanksgiving in your tiny Czech town this year :). I think Christmas is easier because other countries celebrate it too (and Europe even more vigorously than US!). Thanksgiving is just hard being a purely American holiday. And yes! Health is really the most important thing we can ask for!
This is so beautiful!! :) What a lovely list. I wish we celebrated thanksgiving in the UK, it sounds so nice. Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you for reading my blog too :D Sending you lots of happy thoughts from Chile xx
Thank you so much Marcella! I really do love the sentiments of Thanksgiving and it’s nice to have a holiday where we remember to count our blessings! And I always look forward to catching up on your posts. :)
How beautifully designed! I’ve always wanted to get into hand lettering, but I always lack the patience. You put this together really well. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks Adelina! I’ve been really loving hand lettering accounts. They’re just so beautiful. This was my first attempt and it really did take a lot of time! But now I’m even more excited to learn more and attempt more complicated lettering :D.
How did you do it if you don’t mind me asking? On paper and then into the computer? Or on the computer directly?
It’s ink on paper, and then I took a picture of it and fixed up the color/brightness/contrast on Photoshop so the background can be white. And the coloring is digital color on Photoshop!
I looove working on hand lettering, I find it quite relaxing, and this is really beautiful!
I honestly am not much of a Thanksgiving person… coming from a small, vegetarian family it just wasn’t a big deal like other people. What got me abroad (well, in Russia), was that they were Orthodox and didn’t celebrate Christmas on the 25th. Working on Christmas is just wrong!
Thank you Polly!! This was my first attempt and I want to keep on doing more! Good thing I have plenty of time to practice ;).
Does your family at least get together to have a meal on Thanksgiving Day, or just kinda let it pass by like any other normal day? And how awful to have to work on Christmas! But Russia makes up for it a few days later, right? :)
We generally did a meal, but it was just chill because it was the three of us, sans turkey :) And, yes, Russia really gets going on the 31st which makes you forget pretty quickly!
Our family is small too (just 4 people), but we always did the traditional meal. It’s just very chill too. Kinda just like a normal family dinner but with food we usually don’t eat. :)
first of all, you have gorgeous handwriting. love all the fonts here. it totally looks like you designed this on photoshop, not by hand!
secondly, love this list, especially the serious things not to be taken for granted like clean water, a healthy family, a trash collector and janitor… those are all things that my family in cambodia and thousands of people in developing countries do not have, so all the more reason why we should recognize how blessed we are.
lastly, i too am grateful for mornings without alarms and egg tarts. =)
Thanks Soapie! I was going to just do a typewritten collage with different fonts, but decided hand lettering would be much more fun. :) And yes, there are so many little things take for granted! Travel has made me become more appreciative of the small things and conveniences we have in the Western world!
I guess I can understand (more like I was given enough first hand experience) how big Thanksgiving is for Americans. You know, my work counterparts from the US, when they arrange for working trips here, they wouldn’t mind being here and missing Christmas back home. In fact, they sort of welcomed it. But tell them to come over during Thanksgiving (and their daughter’s birthdays) and they would threaten to resign with immediate effect.
I’m wondering if I would be able to experience a real Thanksgiving meal some day. From the pictures I have seen so far, it seems like a mega big feast.
Yes exactly… Thanksgiving is sometimes even more serious than Christmas (unless you’ve still got young kids at home)! If you ever did experience a real Thanksgiving meal, you might feel pretty underwhelmed :P, especially if you’re used to the punchy Malyasian flavors. I have to admit that none of the food we eat on Thanksgiving are my favorites, but they’re still so traditional and you basically only eat it on that one day of the year, so everyone makes it.
So neat Anna! Did you think of everything beforehand to make sure you don’t have to re-do it? When I write thank you or birthdays cards I never write out or even think my lines in advance, and I have had more than one time that I had to throw out my card and re-do! :)
Thanks Jenia! I made a rough list first, and then lettered everything in pencil before going over it with ink. There’s no way I can just do it in ink on the first try!
This is amazing! I’m obsessed with your illustrations! Such beautiful words and so many things to be thankful for :D
Thank you Lauren! There’s always something to be thankful for no matter what! :)
This is very touching and honestly a great list! And gorgeous drawing again :) Loving these types of post!
Thank you Camila! I’m still in a drawing phase, so hopefully there will be more of these :D.
I hope you guys had a lovely Thanksgiving all the same! Sorry to hear that things aren’t working out with your family, but like you said, we just do our best and what will be will be.
Also, I’m dead impressed with your lettering skills!
D’s parents came to Taipei over the weekend, so it was nice to have them here a couple of days after Thanksgiving! And hehe thanks, I’m having fun trying out different things!