The Rwanda Path for Peace project employs thousands of woman and through Macy’s we are able to purchase these beautiful, one-of-a kind baskets and textiles hand-woven by the woman of Rwanda.  In collaboration with Macy’s and The Blogrollers, Chic Galleria is honored to celebrate Thanksgiving featuring the exquisite work of these talented Rwanda women. Available only at macys.com through a unique partnership focused on trade instead of aid, the sale of these items puts real, sustainable income into the hands of the artisans who create them, changing their lives in remarkable ways.

Each of the Rwandan baskets has a meaning or intended use behind them and more importantly they were intended to be gifts to another person.  The “bowl” baskets symbolize different things based on the patterns like patience, bountiful harvest, and good fortune.  Baskets with lids are intended for very precious gifts and keepsakes.  The Rwandan women take great pride in their crafts.  The Textiles such as the table linens and aprons are inspired by their traditional dress and a way to show the beauty of these fascinating people.

To celebrate Thanksgiving, several of our Chic Galleria staff and readers wanted to share their traditions when it comes to celebrating, family and the Thanksgiving meal.

My family always went out to eat for Thanksgiving. To some people that might seem odd, but I enjoyed it because we seemed to talk more at a strange table than a familiar one. We chose a different restaurant each year, and some of them required longer drives. To me, Thanksgiving is still my brother and I in the back seat of the car laughing and talking, while Mom navigated and Dad drove…Jennifer Taylor

Growing up in New York, my Thanksgiving tradition includes the Macy’s Day Parade – which I’ve been watching for 50 years!  The huge balloons are always my favorite, but the bands and the stars singing are fun too. Now, it relates to my memories, but as a kid, I was MAKING the memories.  The day itself was wonderful – smelling food cooking, a big meal, football and the parade – an A+, made in America day for me.  One year, my Dad, who worked in NYC, surprised us and we got to see the parade first hand.  Well, we weren’t street-side, but we were in one of the buildings along 5^th Avenue and we were eye-to-eye with many of the balloons.  We had a TV on so that we could hear the bands, but the floats and balloons were dream-like from many stories up from the street.  It was great fun.  The parade was always the kick-off for the holiday season for us.  We would also go into the city (Manhattan) to see the Rockettes holiday show and to see the Macy’s and other store windows and the skating at Rockefeller Plaza.  It continues to be a wonderful memory for me!…Jane Mudgett

This year our family and friends are adding what we hope will be a new tradition, which is not original to me, but sounds so very appropriate.  We plan to take a little time to write out at least one thing for which we are grateful from 2009 on a slip of paper, unsigned, and then read them aloud at the designated time (before or after dinner).   Everyone at the table will guess to whom who the “thankful” belongs.  I, for one, will have many slips of gratitude ~ once you start focusing on all your blessings, they just seem to keep jumping out at you!  We hope this will encourage all of us to be more intentional about being grateful for all the little things in our lives that add up to a whole lot of joy…Libby Haynes

This is a story that makes me laugh every time. When the boys went away to college, they only came home on holidays and sometimes, due to their sports schedules, not every holiday. Our oldest, Brandon, made it home for Thanksgiving one year from Tulane University. We were getting ready to watch the football games and he said, “Where’s the tradition?” Thetradition? I had no idea what he was talking about and asked him. He said, “You know, the peanuts and M&Ms that we eat while we watch the football game”. So now, every Thanksgiving, we make sure and have “tradition” for him. Tradition Recipe: 1 jar salted peanuts, 1 bag plain M&M’s. Mix together in a large bowl and enjoy!…Lauri Rottmayer

Thanks to Mom, Thanksgiving is the start of a build-up of anticipation and excitement for our whole family. She always made sure that the Christmas season one big non-stop event. From Thanksgiving through New Years there was a sense of expectancy and excitement in the air. There was decorating the house, cooking and baking, parties and dressing up, all of which she established traditions for that we loved and looked forward to every year as the holidays approached. These many years later, when the holidays arrive, there is a feeling that I get deep inside of me that is warm, inviting and familiar. It too, starts at Thanksgiving and keeps building until the New Year’s holiday is over.

One of our most favorite traditions was the making (and eating, of course) of baklava. Baklava is a Greek pastry that is to die for! Mom got the recipe from an old Greek woman who didn’t have the ingredients or amounts written down. It was from memory that she carried out this most beloved tradition.

Dad would sit for hours and slice pecans as thinly as he could get them. He wouldn’t hear of using a processor to cut them, (they had to be sliced just right). We would sit and watch as they gently laid the delicate layers of phyllo dough with melted butter, pecans, honey, sugar and cinnamon. Layer after layer, they built their masterpiece while the stereo played all of our favorite Christmas albums. As a child, this process seemed to go on and on. After the baklava came out of the oven, Mom wrapped the hot pan in towels and let it sit. (I never asked her why she did this). Then we had to wait for what seemed like forever, to get our first bite.

Every party that we attended, Mom would load up a plate of baklava and take it with us as a hostess gift. It was always a favorite and our friends looked forward to it almost as much as we did. I hope that you enjoy this recipe. I am giving it from memory, just as Mom did. You can vary the ingredients to make it to your liking. I hope that your holidays are filled with memories and traditions that take you back to a magical time when life was sweet!

Ingredients:

2 lbs sliced pecans
2 lbs of melted butter (separated, use only clear)
1½ lbs honey
2 lbs phyllo leaves
2 C sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1½ tsp powdered cloves

Directions: You need a 9X15 2in deep enamel roast pan

Mix dry ingredients
Butter bottom and sides of pan; Layer phyllo dough and brush melted butter for 8 layers.
Layer phyllo, melted butter, and dry ingredients until 8 sheets of phyllo are left.
Layer phyllo dough and brush melted butter for 8 layers. Cut into 2 inch diamonds (on the diagonal)
Bake at 400° until brown and crisp…Erin Patrick

Yum! I love Thanksgiving! Not only is it a great time for food, it’s just the perfect reason to all gather together as a family and talk! We traditionally have an “adult table” and “kid’s table”, but now that Ryan and my nephew Bronson are getting older, we’ve sort of merged the kid’s and adult table! We usually talk about past Thanksgivings or just things that have happened in the past that are humorous. Lots and lots of laughter at our Thanksgiving table! Mom usually makes the turkey and we bring the sides. My specialty is the traditional green bean casserole. I use 4-5 cans of green beans, 1 large family size can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, shredded cheddar, a small can of mushrooms, a bit of milk and those tasty fried onions on top! I bake the casserole at 350 degrees until its warm and sometimes I crank up the heat to toast the fried onion rings on top!  Happy Thanksgiving!…Michele Frame

I am so thankful to have two memories of family Thanksgiving traditions. The first is from my childhood. My family would load up and drive about half-an-hour to my grandparent’s house. The tiny house would be filled laughter and kids scurrying around. I can remember spending the remaining time before dinner was served playing in a back bedroom or out in the yard. But the hugs and kisses from grandma and my aunts were the most special. The dinner was always the same and was as traditional as they come. Turkey prepared by grandpa (became a little more salty with each passing year), mashed potatoes with the best gravy, my favorite green beans, corn, cranberries, and dressing to die for. Sometimes she would cook up some cabbage, yum. Then the desserts. They seemed to go on forever. It was hard to see this tradition end when grandma could no longer handle all of the cooking herself. But we have found a new tradition.

We now travel over 8 hours (straight through) to my in-laws. Now my children get to visit one of their grandma’s houses for our new Thanksgiving tradition. We stay for four to five days. So it’s all about time with the family, and not as much about the food. We have time to truly enjoy each other. Sometimes we get to experience things around their town. But, it’s a great time to catch up on everyone’s lives for the last year.

As a child, I didn’t really “get it.” Being thankful was more about the toys and fun times I had. Thanksgiving has become over the years a time for reflection and true thankfulness, for me. Having have time with my friends and family is something I will never forget. Memories to last a lifetime!...Joey Bailey

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! Our family tradition at least for the past four years, involves going to the Thanksgiving Day High School Football Game which our oldest son always plays in. We have hot chocolate and cheer our hearts out! When we get home we light the wood stove and have a huge Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings!

As a child Thanksgivings were so memorable as all the family would go to my grandmothers and we would all play and catch up on how everyone was doing. Plus be amazed at how everyone had grown over the last year …Shelly Medeiros

We are usually in Lubbock on Thanksgiving seeing John’s family.  I always get up Turkey morning, grab the paper and start looking at the sales for the next day.  I usually look at them several times during the day.  We always go to his Aunt Leslie’s house for the big meal and stay late and that is when we decide how early we are going to get up for shopping.  The earliest we got up one time was 3:30, but typically we meet around 4:30 and shop until about noon.  IT rocks!  This year we have tickets to the Cowboy game, but shopping is still on the next morning.  We will get to Lubbock turkey night around midnight so it should be fun…Carrie Castleman

The most memorable Thanksgiving dinner I ever had with my family was Thanksgiving 2007. My family consists of my mother, 3 sisters and 2 brothers along with lots of nieces and nephews even a spattering of great nieces and nephews.  This particular Thanksgiving was an entire family gathering, no one off spending the day with in-laws or close friends. We gathered at my mom’s small house but on this day there seemed to be room for everyone. Laughter filled the living room as the family gathered there so happy to be in each other’s presence. We drank punch and munched on snacks my mom had put out as we caught up with all that was new with each other. Everyone knew that my sister Toni had very recently been diagnosed with cancer and had gone through her first surgery successfully. Toni was holding court in my mom’s living room. She was so pretty that she seemed to literally glow from within. As usual she was the life of the party, cracking jokes that kept everyone in stitches and enjoying the fact that she had her sisters and brothers waiting on her hand and feet. We couldn’t do enough for her and the spirit of life that radiated from within her made us all so grateful and thankful that we were together. Toni continued to hold court at the dinner table as we partook of the delicious dinner my mom had prepared. The dinner wasn’t the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce and collard greens. My mom had prepared Toni’s favorite meal of corned beef, cabbage and corn muffins. Corned beef for Thanksgiving dinner didn’t seem odd this day. Everything was perfect, everyone was happy and all was right in our world this day.

Toni is now holding court with the angels as we loss her physical presence in our lives early 2008. I can recall numerous holidays with my family that evoke fond memories but Thanksgiving 2007 will always be my favorite family Thanksgiving...Letitia Eppes

In my house when I was growing up, Thanksgiving was about one word: FAMILY! We would travel every year to be with both my mom’s and my dad’s family. We would pile into the car..my parents and two brothers and hit the road. We would drive 2 hours to my grandmother’s house to spend Thanksgiving dinner with my mom’s family. Then, at about 5:00, we would pile back into the car, drive about 45 minutes and then arrive at my aunt and uncle’s house to celebrate with my dad’s family. There, we would eat what was left of their Thanksgiving feast with them. At about 9:00 in the evening, we would pile back into the car, very full, and make the 2 hour drive back home. It was a busy day and every year it would flip-flop to who’s house we would go to first. But, besides all the eating and driving that day, what I remember most is just being with family.

Now, as more of the cousins have grown and have had their own families, it is harder to all get together. So, I am thankful that we had that time as we were growing up and can cherish those memories always!…Heidi Ducato

Join the Path for Peace, Macy’s, The Blogrollers and Chic Galleria in celebrating Thanksgiving with these beautiful items from Rwanda.  Leave a comment on this article and be entered to win a basket, an apron or a tote bag.  Visit www.macys.com and check out all the  Rwandan items.  3 lucky Chic Galleria readers will be chosen at random from the comments.  Tell us your favorite Thanksgiving memory, tradition or just share a Thanksgiving wish.  The winners will be announce on November 23, 2009. (basket colors may vary from photo)

Congratulations to Heather H., Andrea V., and Cee!

Tags: baskets, Giveaways, Macys, Rwanda, textiles