Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The family, the food, the fun — I really like the ritual of it all, and I especially like that, unlike most other holidays, there’s an actual reason for the celebration that people remember and care about. I love the energy of people gathering from all over the country to spend the holiday together.

One of my only hesitations about studying abroad in the fall was missing Thanksgiving in the U.S., but since there were many more reasons not to go in the spring, I did it anyway. My friends Gene and Joanna ended up coming to visit me in Stockholm for the Thanksgiving week. Along with some of my friends from my program, we made a Thanksgiving dinner consisting of a small turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and Stove Top stuffing that Gene and Joanna had to bring with them from Providence.

We cooked in the home of one of my friend’s host families. In Sweden, Thanksgiving is, of course, just another Thursday. So when my friend’s hosts got home from work, a feast was ready for them in their kitchen. We sat down at their dining room table and explained the tradition of going around the table for everyone to say what they’re thankful for. All of us had a lot to be thankful for that Thanksgiving, and I will never forget the experience of sharing the tradition of Thanksgiving with the Swedish family, my friends from abroad, and my friends from Brown.

This year, I spent Thanksgiving in Bethesda, Md., just outside Washington, with some of my family’s oldest friends. At this Thanksgiving, the tradition is for everyone to make one dish. My mother, who is a master chef, did more than her share, handling the turkey, gravy and stuffing. In response to popular demand from people who have had her turkey, she had written up a Thanksgiving memo that details the steps to prepare her recipe, starting the day before and going right up to the moment the food is served. So she was slaving away starting Wednesday evening when we arrived.

On Thursday, my mother began to cook the turkey itself. After stuffing the turkey, buttering it, and covering it, it was ready for the oven.

After a few hours, it was ready to come out. But this proved easier said than done.

After the turkey was safely extricated, my mother turned her attention to the gravy. Using the roasting pan from the turkey, she added a few secret ingredients and began cooking it down.

Meanwhile, all over the kitchen and even the house, others were working on pulling together their own contributions to the Thanksgiving dinner. I was on mashed potatoes duty, which is a pretty last-minute operation. As soon as the turkey came out of the oven, though, it was immediately filled with other dishes — rolls, sweet potatoes, green beans, brussel sprouts, spinach, pies and more.

Before long, it was time to carve the turkey and assemble the various dishes for people to claim their first plates. In a matter of minutes, a shockingly large buffet materialized.

Once dinner was on the table and served, it was time for firsts, seconds and thirds. My mother outdid herself again with the turkey, and everyone else’s dishes were delicious as well. I had to restrain myself from having more of the dinner to save room for pie.

It was a wonderful holiday with terrific friends, family and food. Only eleven months until the next one!