Home for the Holidays

Hugh Thompson

Comp I

February 7, 2005

Home For the holidays

When it comes to giving thanks for what you appreciate there is no better time than thanksgiving, what better way to celebrate than with family, food, and friends. Every year millions of people all across the country come together for a very special reason. This day is when you are to give thanks for all that you have been blessed with, and food is a big part of this day. Without mention this dinner usually includes succulent Turkey, cranberry sauce, spiced stuffing, and very creamy mashed potatoes with gravy. There is nothing like the rising chatter of your family members, or the sweet aroma that billows from behind the kitchen door each time it is opened to let you know you're home for the holidays.

When you come from a family of Jamaicans you're going to know how to party, holidays are the times when you look forward to rejoicing and catching up with kinfolk. My older cousins from New Jersey seem to always have energy enough to fill a ball room. Each and every conversation seems to be as exciting and bright as the one prior; it's surprising they have time to have dinner with the family. My mother and most of the females often rejoice with each other while cooking or preparing the dinner, old hymns gleefully fill the air, reminding them of the isle they have left behind. When my sister and her husband bring my nieces & nephew to visit it's always a sight for sore eyes, there presence often remind me of when they were born, so innocent, delicate, and precious, like a real white Christmas.

Over the years the location of where we have our thanksgiving has changed drastically. As our family becomes larger and more united we have to find more space to accommodate the guests around this holiday. I can remember a couple of more important times when thanksgiving was extra special. In 1999 me and my most immediate family traveled all the way back to Jamaica to visit my mother's mother and too spend the holiday with more than 3 generations of family. This was one of the most important times in my life because it gave me a chance to experience and interact with family I don't see everyday. On a more recent note this year we spent dinner with my mom, and just my cousin. This was the smallest dinner I have had in a while, most of all the family went abroad to visit many of mothers other siblings so this was a good time to have a small dinner. One thing I have come to learn is that it is always good to have family around no matter what the occasion.

With each meeting you can tell how much different a year makes. Every year there are girls turning into woman, and boys into men? Since my adolescents I have noticed the changes in most of the people in my family especially the ones that you don't see that often. From year to year one good thing about the change is in the taste of the food. The cooks become more skilled with each time they prepare this tremendous feast. As far as the kids go, they grow faster than I can remember, it seems like you see