fred flare diary | lulu in the city: thanks, new york!
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When I was growing up, my family would always start Thanksgiving morning by watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. It was a big event in our house and we would remain glued to the television from beginning to end. If you walked away even for a minute someone would inevitably call you back to catch a fabulous float, a majorette or cheerleading squad, a giant balloon or the cast of some Broadway play that people like us in Perry, Ohio had never heard of.

Though I haven’t had Thanksgiving with my family for many years – working in retail has made this a holiday I can rarely travel home for – I still always watch the parade. I’ve also enjoyed starting some new traditions of my own.

In Chicago I hosted Thanksgiving many times with my friend Joe. My first year in the city it was just the two of us and my dog Exault. We cooked him a little turkey and then we enjoyed our butternut squash with pine nut stuffing, honey glazed brussels sprouts, maple tarragon sweet potatoes and tons more treats.

Each year thereafter, though, our group grew. But the funny thing was that it seemed there was almost always some new kid in town who was away from the family for the first time, just as I had been years before with Joe. That was the greatest tradition of all. Some of the best Thanksgivings I’ve ever had have been the ones with friends and strangers, people I barely knew and may never see again. I imagine this is similar to what the first Thanksgiving must have been like: different people bringing different things to the table and just having a fun day!

Last Thursday all of us at fredflare.com had Thanksgiving dinner for lunch. There’s this restaurant in the neighborhood called Union Picnic that serves it year-round so we took full advantage and even bought a pumpkin pie from the deli for dessert! It definitely got me in the mood to write this column… We were all talking about our fave Thanksgiving memories as well as introducing our co-worker Diane to the festivities. Diane is from China and had never celebrated the holiday before. I’m happy to see the tradition lives on.

We also found ourselves chatting about last year’s Thanksgiving. Chris, Keith and I actually hosted it at the home of our friends Lora and Mike. They have a great house with a beautiful new kitchen and offered it to anyone willing to take charge of the details. We planned the menu and coordinated everyone’s assignments. Chris had the biggest responsibility of all: cooking the turkey. His Mom had always cooked it on the grill when he was growing up so that was his plan and it turned out great.

We were all a little nervous but the dinner was a total success. The only problem was there was too much delicious food to fit on the table! We managed. After dinner we played some games and even had an impromptu Madonna dance party. Chris and Lora love Madonna and it was great spending Thanksgiving with them, and with her. Our friend Matt snapped digital pix of all the dancers and then plugged the camera into the television for a little slide show and we just laughed at ourselves.

I think my favorite thing happened, though, just as we sat down to dinner. Chris stood and proposed a toast where he thanked everyone individually for something they had done that year. When he got to me he said, "Lulu, thanks for moving to New York!" That’s when I realized it. This year I was the new kid in town!

From all of us here at fredflare.com, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving! What are some of your fave holiday traditions? Please email me at lulu@fredflare.com. I’d love to hear from you! Be sure and send me your address because I have a holiday treat for the first five responses.

And don’t forget to catch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade! This year I’m going to go see it live. Look for me on TV. I’ll be the one wearing pink!

11/13/2003



DIARY ARCHIVES: fred friends Top Model's Sarah Vonderhaar, Jack Mackenroth, Think Pink writer Lisa Clark, Kit Pistol, Au Revoir Simone, Supayana, What the Buck, Peter Bjorn and John, Ratatat, next BIG thing! 2007, shoe designer Jeffrey Campbell, Erika Forster of Au Revoir Simone, heartist Chris Uphues, Alison Kelly of Dahl, Stephanie Deleau of Noisette, Marilyn Patrizio of M.Partizio, Liam Sullivan of Kelly "Shoes", Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, next BIG thing! 2006, Jill Bliss, next BIG thing! 2005, Loop NYC's China Young, Sukie, The Donnas, Vinnie's Tampon Case, Leah Tinari, Peach Berzerk, The Sperber twins, Jennifer Worick, Cody, Patch NYC 2, Chip Wass, Angela Adams, Venue, Jack and Lulu 2, All Girl Summer Fun Band, 31 Corn Lane, Charlotte Ronson, Three by Three Seattle, Princess Tina, Imperial Teen, Built by Wendy 2, Dana Carlson, Sweden, Jack and Lulu 1, Bob's Your Uncle, Mary Ping & Jonathan Adler, E-Z Living, Built by Wendy 1, Endicott Five, Patch NYC 1, media blitz Mod*Mom, Aya Kanai from Nylon, Grace Bonney of Design Sponge, Samantha Moeller of Missbehave, Marie Kare of The Sampler, Pink Is The New Blog's Trent Vanegas, Martha Stewart Kids' Jodi Levine, BUST's Debbie Stoller, YM's Elizabeth Kiester, Cargo's Ariel Foxman, teeter on tour back to brooklyn, she's so rad, double handsome, wild pony, enchanted treehouse, beanz-n- rice, wide open road, crush Teeter Sperber, Kelis, Jennifer Garner, Kylie Minogue, Charlie Brown, Scarlett Johansson, employee of the month Julie, Jen, Sammy Joe & Joe Sammy, Amy, Vanessa, Tim, Anne, Chanel, Josh, Lauren, Diane, Charles, Lillian, nancy drew review the haunted bridge, the whispering statue, the mystery of the ivory charm, the message in the hollow oak, the clue of the broken locket, password to larkspur lane, the sign of the twisted candles, nancy's mysterious letter, the clue in the diary, the secret of red gate farm, the secret of shadow ranch, the mystery at lilac inn, the bungalow mystery, the hidden staircase, the secret of the old clock, lulu in the city lulu luvs, extra! extra! read all about it!, pink Christmas, thanks, new york!, single in the city, spooky lulu, roller girl, jersey girl, no lights, big city, it was a "red hot" summer!, miss independence, billyburg shopping guide, lulu and the kitty, in like a lion, out like a lamb, my best friend joe, hotpants!, the queen of brooklyn, summer in the city, the anniversary party, garbage & neighbors & mice...oh my!, lulu in the city, cheap & cheerful give thanks, hula hoops, a piece of pi, cupcakes, fred fleur, tommy: mini mode happy summer days, it's a mod, mod world, good night, sweet dreams, my girl, keep on marching, one fine day, supermodels Dana's Lucky magazine shoot, hi-fi holiday honeys, supermodel Hillary's Warhol, fallfabulous, supermodel challenge, covergirls, fred on tour Paris Dispatch: Eiffel Awesomeness, Paris Dispatch: Just Strollin', Paris Dispatch: From Colette w/ Love, Paris Dispatch: Marie & The Moulin, Paris Dispatch: Bonjour, Peeps!, behind the music, San Fredcisco, LA Flare, chartoppers: the 80's 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, chartoppers: madonna Hard Candy, Confessions on a Dance Floor, reinvention tour recap, reinvention contest winners, Madonna, Like a Virgin, True Blue, Like a Prayer, I'm Breathless, Erotica, Bedtime Stories, Ray of Light, Music, American Life, top 50 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, window shopping 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, sales and events Carnival of Cute: Holiday 2006, Fall Sample Sale 2006, Pool Party 2006, Holiday Sale 2003, let's skate, Holiday Sale 2002, Holiday Sale 2001, Holiday Sale 2000, Spring Sale 2000