Thanksgiving comes first!

In a city in which Mardi Gras is the major holiday, the others seem like an afterthought.  I haven't heard anyone mention X-mas or July 4th or any of the other major holidays.  In New England, these and Thanksgiving are the big ones.  Independence Day is the big civic holiday.

I mentioned that I had made reservations for Thanksgiving, not having any family here, and the person I was speaking to said she was surprised I didn't just order a prepared meal for home.  In fact, I said I was in Zara's Supermarket on Prytania Street yesterday and saw they were selling a turkey dinner but it included a can of cranberry sauce and I would rather make my own.  "Oh really?!" she sniffed as if that's something unheard of here.  I did see bags of cranberries labeled as "fresh" in quotation marks at Zara's (celebrating 70 years in business).  The quotation marks around "fresh" gave me pause.  Were they previously frozen?  Leftover from last year and stored in the back until this Thanksgiving season?  I'll probably buy some in the next week, cook down a batch of too much sauce and freeze what's extra.  What difference does it make?  I must admit it will seem odd to have such a New England food, a taste of the old Cap Cod cranberry bogs.  I think I've read that Wisconsin is the #1 cranberry-producing state now.

All of this is neither here nor there.  The real news is that X-mas decorations have been hung on Canal Street...before Thanksgiving!

The first picture on this post is a little out of focus but it reflects what Canal Street looks like at 6:00 in the morning.  This second one is a little dark for noon.  It was a brilliantly bright day today in the 70s.  I understand Connecticut has already seen snow.  It is the middle of November and, while I have worn a sweater on some nights, I haven't had to break out a coat.

It's odd to see wreaths and artificial pine wrapped around the light poles in this semi-tropical weather.  The natives tell me not to be surprised if we see snow.  I was talking to a local who had visited Boston in August. "Man!" he said, "It was cold at night!  Even in August!"  Yup.

One last picture of Canal Street in the morning, this time in focus:

Then again, maybe not.  It's very pretty but somehow lights on a palm tree don't really say X-mas to me.  Besides, blue and gold aren't X-mas colors; they're Navy colors.  I have learned thought that purple and yellow are LSU colors.  At least whoever is in charge of holiday decorating didn't go that route.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  It's a week away and then we can think about Christmas with a clear conscience.
-WK