To this day I find it very strange that I only miss about half of the things that go on during a a US Thanksgiving. Well, maybe two-thirds.

Although Japan has Labor Thanksgiving Day on November 23rd, it’s mostly just a day off and not that big of a deal. For the US Thanksgiving, I’m working and keeping track of players in my NFL fantasy league.

I do miss spending time with family as we stuff ourselves blind. I definitely miss pecan pie, although She Who Must Be Obeyed can make a terrific one (once we take out a personal loan to buy all the ingredients). She can also make some terrific pumpkin tarts (pies are too difficult as Japan has not discovered pre-made pie crusts) so she makes smaller versions.

For a meal we usually load up on chicken, cheese, bread and wine (or beer) and She Who Must Be Obeyed makes mashed potatoes. It is possible to get turkey if we order it in early October, but we don’t have an oven big enough to roast it and the neighbors would freak out if I started a fire and tried to deep-fry it. (Actually, She Who Must Be Obeyed would probably freak out some, too, now that I think about it.)

I also miss falling asleep watching football–aka “spending time with the guys”. I also remember going to see movies in the evening once a few of us got tired of all the “family time”. (I miss spending time with the family only to a certain point.)

I definitely miss the turkey sandwiches made from leftovers.

I don’t miss the endless loop of Christmas songs, especially as the Christmas shopping season apparently begins in early July now. I don’t miss all the Black Friday nonsense. Keep in mind, Black Friday hadn’t yet become a contact sport when I was in the USA, it was just crowded and cranky. Keep in mind, though, I typically never bought Christmas presents until the last minute, so I only experienced Black Friday a few times.

Japan’s Black Friday doesn’t happen until after New Year’s Day. It’s quite frightening when it happens. (But that’s a future post.)