Friends of a Feather

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love spending hours in the kitchen cooking cranberries and dressing and three different kinds of potatoes. I love being around family and watching football and eating too much pie. And who doesn't love leftovers?

This year we are celebrating as we usually do—as a family at the beach, kicking off the day with a 5K race before we preheat the ovens and baste the turkeys. (Yes, there will be multiple turkeys.)

But before I head south for Thanksgiving, I celebrated a bit early, with friends here in the city. In Brooklyn, to be specific. 2019 was the year of my first Friendsgiving, and if last night's party was any indication, it is sure to be a standing tradition going forward.

Friends old and new gathered to feast on turkey, dressing, cranberries, mac and cheese, broccoli casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and, of course, pie. The food was delicious, but what I loved most was spending time with friends who have become like a second family to me here in New York. I've only known some of them for a couple of years, others for a few months, and some I met just last night as we sat around the table playing games and sipping wine and sharing favorite holiday memories.

2019 is a special year for so many reasons. I am optimistic in saying that my first—but certainly not last—Friendsgiving will be a memory I cherish for a long, long time.