Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated in Canada and the United States during the autumn season, to give thanks for the harvest and for the year. One of the most important elements of this tradition is the turkey; there is always lots and lots of turkey.

But stepping away from the food, Thanksgiving is about a lot more. Thanksgiving is about bringing family and friends together, and since the American families in the school are miles away from home, they celebrate here, together. With over 40 families attending the dinner this year it made for a great atmosphere.

It was celebrated at O’Leary’s, one of the well-known American-style restaurants in Stockholm. On the last Thursday of November every year, they offer to host a Thanksgiving dinner, providing traditional food and entertainment for those who attend. During the dinner, they televise an American football game to make the families feel right at home.

Since 1920, watching the NFL on Thanksgiving day has been a tradition, and is now a part of the night for most families. Legend has it that, on Thanksgiving day over fifty years ago, two teams challenged each other to a Thanksgiving duel, and the loser was kicked out of the league. Although there is no real evidence that this happened, it makes for an interesting story to tell at dinner.

As a non-American student attending this dinner, it was definitely a change of scenery and culture. But as we went around saying what we were thankful for, similar things emerged here and there; family, friends, and of course, the food. Being international students, it is a pretty common occurrence that we miss important events or celebrations. It is for this reason that we see so many families at this dinner every year, bringing a bit of the American tradition to Sweden, one dinner at a time.