• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result
Home Retirement/Living

Celebrating Thanksgiving In Chiang Mai, Thailand

Paul Terhorst by Paul Terhorst
Nov 27, 2014
in Retirement/Living
0
Chang Mai Thailand
213
SHARES
3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Giving Thanks Overseas

Vicki and I plan to celebrate Thanksgiving in Chiang Mai, Thailand, this year. In past years we’ve celebrated in Paris, Buenos Aires, London, Penang
(Malaysia), and Chapala-Ajijic (Mexico).

One year in Buenos Aires friends asked me to go on their daily TV show, sort of “Good Morning, Buenos Aires,” and talk about Thanksgiving. I went to the old Lincoln Library in Buenos Aires (this was before the Internet) and looked up “Thanksgiving” in the encyclopedia. On the TV program I explained that we celebrate on the fourth Thursday in November and that the holiday started with early settlers rejoicing at their good harvest. Settlers invited locals to join them, ate turkey, and prayed.

I’ve heard that some modern historians doubt this Thanksgiving story, saying the story may have been made up later. But the story sounded good on TV, and I went with it, in my best Spanish.

I then went on to explain that we still eat turkey on Thanksgiving, and that the price of turkey comes down for the holidays.

“The price comes down?” the hostess asked, incredulous. “How can that be? Here in Argentina the price would go up. Price gouging.”

Finally, I went on to explain Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, the world’s biggest shopping day. Black Friday supposedly marks the first day of the year that retailers run in the black, making money, rather than in the red.

Recently Black Friday ceded its top retail spot to Singles Day in China.
Singles Day started in the 1990s, rather than 400 years ago. China has a huge population, and Alibaba promotes Singles Day as a way for Chinese singles to buy something special for themselves. They do, to the tune of US$9 billion this year.

I had another memorable Thanksgiving in London. In 1992 I came into a small amount of extra money and on a lark headed off to London to spend Thanksgiving with friends there. I stuck around into the Christmas season and went to hear the Messiah sung at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

In the old days in Chiang Mai, before huge numbers of Westerners moved here, Americans celebrated at least some holidays at the American consulate. But as more and more Westerners poured in, the consulate grounds became too small to handle the crowds. The last holiday fete celebrated there was Independence Day six years ago.

These days Halloween and Christmas have caught on big time in Thailand. But Thanksgiving gets some play, too, and many restaurants offer traditional turkey dinners for US$10 or so. Although a handful of Thais celebrate Thanksgiving, for the most part Americans and other Westerners jam into these places on turkey day.

We often skip the turkey specials but always choose to celebrate and give thanks for the good things that happened during the year. For our Thanksgiving in Penang we chose an Indian feast. In Argentina we usually had lavish asados, or barbecues, with five or six meat courses. One year we invited a young Argentine couple that was moving to Texas. Now, in Houston, they report that Thanksgiving has become their favorite American holiday. And they stick with the menu, a big asado with friends.

This year in Chiang Mai Vicki and I will celebrate Thanksgiving at our favorite French restaurant, La Fourchette. We’ll go with new friends, just the four of us. I’ll have duck instead of turkey.

Vicki and I tend to downplay holidays that merely mark the passage of time—birthdays, for example, or anniversaries or New Years. We prefer holidays organized around a theme, like Thanksgiving, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day, or Labor Day. In recent years we’ve gone a step further and for Thanksgiving try to celebrate with new friends. After all, on Thanksgiving we celebrate the good things that happened during the year. And one of the best things that happens to us, or anyone, ever, is to make new friends.

So that’s it: Our favorite French restaurant, new friends, and thanks. What a simple way to celebrate.

Paul Terhorst

Continue reading: 10 Best Places To Buy Real Estate Overseas

Tags: 'living in argentina''Thailand''Thanksgiving Overseas'expats in argentinaexpats in thailandholidays in argentinaholidays overseasliving in thailandPaul TerhorstThanksgivingthanksgiving in chaing mai
Share85Tweet53
Previous Post

Panama’s President Visits The Azuero Sunset Coast

Next Post

The Retire Overseas Challenge No One Talks About

Paul Terhorst

Paul Terhorst

Paul Terhorst and his wife, Vicki, retired young and can now be found traveling the globe. These perpetual travelers have been everywhere from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Paris, France, and beyond. Paul regularly writes for the retirement and investing publications of Live and Invest Overseas.

Related Posts

Caribbean beach in Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic

12 Reasons Why We Chose To Live In The Dominican Republic

by Kathleen Peddicord
June 30, 2022
0

"I've had enough of your Caribbean vacations for this year!" This is the response Bill Piatt got from his wife...

Read more
Senior woman with pink skirt and white shirt who retired alone at the beach

Retiring Abroad Alone? Here Are 6 Things To Know

June 27, 2022
Thai style garden located in Royal Park Rajapruek, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The Best Way To Beat Inflation For Retirees

June 26, 2022
Guanajuato, scenic city lookout near Pipila

How To Love Your Life Abroad After The Honeymoon Period Is Over

June 24, 2022
Taipei's City Skyline at sunset with the famous Taipei 101

The Top Affordable Places To Retire In Asia And Live Well

June 19, 2022
A grid with several Latin American countries

Finding The Best Places To Live In Latin America

June 9, 2022
Palms and beach at Caye Caulker island, Belize

Choose The Lifestyle You Want In Belize

June 6, 2022
Next Post

The Retire Overseas Challenge No One Talks About

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.







LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2022

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

Sign up for FREE and learn how to live the good life on a modest budget, find bargain property, and more. Plus, check out our free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE.

RETIRE OVERSEAS AND LIVE LIKE ROYALTY

The World’s Best Places To Be In 2022?

Discover Them Here…