Little 7 year old me arrived in Los Angeles from Casablanca one week before Halloween. My uncle took me to get a costume and off we went trick or treating at the home of Elvis Presley. Lucille Ball handed me a Hershey’s Chocolate bar and I was convinced: America is paradise.

Little did I know that November would bring Thanksgiving with its wondrous foods. Roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing and creamy pumpkin pie for dessert. Best food ever!

My parents quickly adapted this most American of holidays and every year we indulged in Turkey and all the sides.

When my uncle and aunt and cousins arrived from Paris, they too fell in love with Thanksgiving. When my cousin Rachel was married, she took on the tradition of hosting the feast. She has tables set with beautiful flowers and her buffet groans under the weight of several birds and every traditional side—the beans, the mashed potatoes, the stuffing. There is a soup station, as well as cakes and pies and muffins. It’s over the top and absolutely fabulous.