“Thanksgiving in the United States is arguably the most significant family event they celebrate in that part of the globe. Perhaps it’s because it’s in that one big event that American families happily, maybe forcibly for some, reunite from all different states.

I suppose it makes perfect sense that the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving bears little meaning for most Filipinos. Most of us, after all, try to make every occasion, big or small, an opportunity to bring our families together. Tatay got promoted in the office. Nanay opened a coffee shop near the subdivision. Kuya finally received an increase in pay. Ate got an A in Math and Medieval History. Bunso got a gold star for his riveting performance of Itsy Bitsy Spider. And Baby Girl threw her first official tantrum. All these surely justify a family eating excursion in their favorite restaurant.

We all find our own reasons to reunite reconvene and renew ties. Some habitually reunite on Sundays. Perhaps others bond as families more often. From a cultural standpoint, we’ve been taught to connect with family as often as humanly possible. While those trained in the “you’ll-need-to-fend-for-yourself” ways of more developed countries call this Pinoy penchant for the incessant need to connect and reconnect with families a debilitating form of dependence, one could also look at our instinctive search for family as scheduled renewal.

We are who we are in front of our families. More often than not, we lose our hard-earned titles at work – CEO, VP, AE, EP or PA – when we resume our roles as family members on the dining table. Once we happily or even compulsorily reconvene for the usual Sunday lunch, birthday merienda or blow-out breakfast, we’re back to our original roles as Tatay, Nanay, Kuya, Ate and Bunso. And as we all happily watch Baby Girl play with her food at the end of the table, we all might realize that Thanksgiving in the Philippines happens more than once a year. And that is something we certainly should always be thankful for.

I have been reading bits and pieces of HR books lately and want to share this thought with you: IT PAYS TO THANK PEOPLE AROUND YOU, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WORK WITH YOU.

We live in a developing country and many people who work do it for subsistence. However, saying thank you to an assistant who did a terrific job in typing something or a acknowledging a dining staff who served your customer well goes a long way. So what I am saying is this: WHEN YOU FEEL SOMEBODY AROUND YOU DID SOMETHING RIGHT, ACKNOWLEDGE THE PERSON AND THANK HIM OR HER FOR IT.

Here are a few creative tips how:

1. SMS – Sending Meaningful Smiles/ Sentences - “Hey George, thanks for working very hard. I appreciate your passion at work, keep it up.”

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In the United States, Thanksgiving and major league sports are deeply connected in a highly cultural manner. Sports - American football in particular - is a near-religious occasion during Thanksgiving that commands allegiance from almost every member of the family. Whether they gather around the best tailgate party outside Soldier Field in Chicago or huddle in front of the plasma television, the essence of Thanksgiving Sports in North America is that of tradition, turkeys and touchdowns.

Here in the Philippines, sports can be a means to bond. Sports unite people. It bands disparate characters to a common cause. While American football successfully brings families together, sports in the Philippines is a license to forget the often subtle and at times jarring differences between Manileños, Ilocanos, Cebuanos, Ilonggos, Bicolanos etc. In every national sporting event, we yearn for the warmth of countrywide fellowship. For every boxing event, for instance, we pray for that orgasmic injection of simultaneous euphoria. Even the grim blanket of national disappointment provides a certain comfort to individuals longing for the serenity produced by albeit temporary unity.

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Thanksgiving, I have always been curious about this holiday—a holiday that seems to be the most significant one in America , but is not celebrated anywhere else in the world. A ‘balikbayan’ uncle of mine attempted to bring a little bit of Thanksgiving here in the Philippines . He brought home a turkey for Christmas. They cooked the turkey the Filipino way and unfortunately it did not work out so well—they roast it ala lechon style; they started right after lunch and by sun down the turkey was still not cooked. After hours of slaving over it, the turkey ended up tasting bland, my aunt says that’s how it was suppose to be like. I think to myself ‘And the Americans go gaga over this bland food.’ With this particular incident in mind and with American television programming and my Yahoo interface happily advertising this day, I could not help but wonder what the fuss is all about.

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2 cups mashed potatoes
½ cup turkey meat, cubed
¼ cup bell pepper, chopped
3 pcs egg yolks
¼ cup butter
½ cup fresh milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pc egg, slightly beaten
Breadcrumbs
Cooking oil

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