When the Americans skip town to be with their families for Thanksgiving, New York is a ghost town. Restaurants and bars are closed, the streets are eerily empty and daily business shuts down. Except for the few Europeans, who out of necessity, flock together and create their own version of the holiday. We too love turkey, mashed potatoes and history, so Thank You, United States, for those long weekends off!

This year I decided to do something different. I rounded up the troops and took everyone up to the Bronx to volunteer at the Real Life Church Thanksgiving Mission. Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and her boyfriend Robert Konjic (who are happily expecting their first baby btw!), Anya Ziourova, Michelle Harper, Jim Kaemmerling and I took the 6 train on Thursday morning packed with donations and food. We spent the next three hours serving turkey, cutting pies and taking pictures. It was very rewarding to see a community so happy and grateful. And everyone there was stunned to hear we were all from different countries and actually knew each other. “That’s not possible!”

So, I know it’s not about fashion, or vintage, or anything fabulous, but this post makes me smile nonetheless. Because we were useful for a change. And we had fun doing it. Isn’t that what life’s about?