Happy Thanksgrieving

With immense gratitude and a duty to educate my ex-pat children about the United States, we celebrated (with a Commissary turkey and a Nerf football) Thanksgiving with friends in the Netherlands. 

This time of year also brings the arrival and celebration of Sinterklaas in the Netherlands. There is a controversial side to this holiday - Zwarte Piet. Though a joyous time for many Dutch families and children, some are deeply hurt by Piet's depiction and the arrival of Sinterklaas is a painful time of year.

Like Sinterklaas, many Americans mourn on Thanksgiving for the loss of millions of Native people, their land, and their cultures. Both holidays garner protests against the racism and oppression that continue to exist today. 

This year, I am grateful to experience another country’s holiday in all its troubling imperfections. It is an opportunity to push myself to live in the entire truth of Thanksgiving. Not only to pass down the fond memories and traditions of the holiday but also share its more controversial side, and deepen our understanding of the range of experiences that people have in America. 

Learn more about the National Day of Mourning.