Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holiday celebrations in the United States and the links to the Netherlands are strong, given the Pilgrims lived here for a while. So if you are celebrating away from home this year, here’s a few ways to to mark Thanksgiving from afar. 

Get the turkey in
Finding a turkey for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner can be difficult and if you’ve got a small army of hungry friends, relatives, and/or curious Dutch neighbours heading your way, you should contact the nearest poelier, or poultry specialist.

Specialty meat shops and butcher stalls at weekly markets might be able to help you as well, but you’d better contact them ASAP if you haven’t already. It’s likely they’ll have to special order a turkey for you.

Those unwilling to bake and scoop a pumpkin and/or dice up bread for stuffing should aim for one of the many international stores which sell US (and other) holiday favourites. And check out our wine recommendations as well.

Plan for pie
Preparing a pumpkin pie from scratch can be a pain. Fortunately, the good folks at Amsterdam’s Brittons Bakery & Cakery are willing to put on their aprons and do all the work for you.

They are taking pre-orders until November 22 and the pies will be ready for pick-up during shop hours on the November 26 and 27. Check out their website for further details.

Get someone else to cook for you
Several restaurants around Amsterdam host Thanksgiving dinners. The Hard Rock Cafe is whipping up several of them from 27 through 30 November while Cafe Belcampo will be hosting its eighth Thanksgiving feast on November 27.

Amsterdam Spotted has a round-up of other ones scheduled in the nation’s capital. Outside of Amsterdam, the options are few and far between but Bird in Rotterdam will host one on the 27th. If you know of any others, please let us know.

Celebrate at a book store
The three branches of the American Book Store – in Amsterdam, The Hague and Leidschendam – have a packed line-up of Thanksgiving gifts coming up, including an extra 10% discount on all purchases.

Think book swaps, blind book dates, competitions and a baked goods potluck. You can bring cookies, cupcakes, a bit of that sourdough -anything you fancy making and sharing. All bakers will receive a little gift voucher as a token of the store’s appreciation.

See where it all started
The American Pilgrims lived in Leiden before they departed for the ‘New World’ in 1620. The years they spent in the city is one of the most overlooked chunks of American history. You can learn more about all this at Leiden’s Pilgrim Museum, which reopened in a new location beside the Pieterskerk in October.

The church is the final resting place of the minister John Robinson, one of the Pilgrims who opted to remain in the Netherlands. Also be sure to stop by the historical markers outside along the Kloksteeg, but double check the museum’s schedule before you go. It’s currently open Wednesday through Sunday during afternoon hour.

Give thanks in church
The Pieterkskerk also has a ecumenical service every Thanksgiving morning that’s hosted by the group Overseas Americans Remember. Along with a procession of children dressed as Pilgrims, there are speeches from local religious and political leaders along with musical performances.

Representatives from the US embassy in The Hague also typically make the trek to the church to share a few words. If you’d like to learn more, check out the church’s events page or the Dutch News article about last year’s service.

Visit the Pilgrims’ first departure point – Leiden
When the Pilgrims decided it was time to leave the Netherlands, they departed Leiden on a small boat near the current location of the city’s archives. There’s now a small statue and plaque that honours the event. They’re easy to locate. You’ll find them along the Vliet canal a few footsteps away from the Korte Vlietbrug.

Or the second one – Rotterdam
The Pilgrims officially left the Netherlands from Delfshaven, a district in Rotterdam with architecture that shares few similarities with the sleek, Blade Runner-esque buildings closer to the main train station. When the Pilgrims passed through there in 1620, Delfshaven was a thriving community of shipbuilders, fishermen, and other seafarers.

After taking photos of various historical buildings and the Korenmolen, a windmill currently home to a distillery, take in lunch or a few beers at the Stadsbrouwerij De Pelgrim.

Would the Pilgrim Fathers have approved of you trying their latest brews? Maybe so. According to various historical sources, they opted to drop anchor along the Massachusetts coastline instead of Virginia’s because the Mayflower ran out of beer.

Not joyous for everyone
Like many holidays, Thanksgiving is composed of various traditions and tributes to historical events that have had their rough-edges and complexities whittled away to make them more wholesome and…commercial. 

Thanksgiving is arguably the most controversial of all American holidays due to its connection to the bleak treatment of Native Americans by European settlers over the centuries. Many indigenous groups have dubbed it the National Day of Mourning.

While there are no events we’re aware of in the Netherlands to commemorate these atrocities, you may want to read this historical essay from the Amsterdam-based John Adams Institute and reflect for a time.