LIFE: Not So Cookie Cutter Holiday

Photo by Rifqi Ali Ridho on Unsplash

I recently came across an article about a boy and a “grandma” celebrating their 4th Thanksgiving together after an accidental “grandma” moment text 4 years ago. The woman texted out to her family sharing about the time for Thanksgiving meal but instead of the intended grandchild receiving the message, a young man from the area received it and texted back “I don’t know you but can I still get a plate?” and in grandma fashion- no one goes hungry. After the first year, the invites kept coming. 

Growing up, my household parents ( dad and bonus mom) we not from Texas, let alone the USA so I experienced holidays and family gatherings in a different light than the “normal” US-based family. 

First, we didn’t have extended family to invite over for the holidays, so we included other people who had been relocated for work or school into our household- I will forever refer to these men and women as aunties and uncles or FRAMILY. 

• Two of my “uncles” were rug dealers originally Turkey and would come across to share with different companies in the San Antonio area what new items were available. They would stay in our house and make amazing dishes- including the first time I ever had full bone-in fish. Bonus mom would make a different Mexican dish upon their request too. 

• At one point the curator from the Alamo ( a Texas historical landmark) and his wife were our uncle and auntie and invite us to the coolest events happening there. Their house was in a historical area of San Antonio and boasted so much character. 

• My parents went on an anniversary trip over Thanksgiving and my brother’s best friend’s family had my brother and me over for dinner and invited us to crash on their couches to enjoy their family movie time. This family has been a part of every big moment in our lives and us in theirs. I will forever be the little sis to Ray and Bobby and them my big brothers. 

Second, what is a traditional Thanksgiving meal? Don’t ask me because our family made a big vat of Pesole ( Mexican hominy soup) during the Thanksgiving break- I think most of the time we actually ate it on a different day because my other brother is a police officer and he would work Thanksgiving to make ALL THE MONEY! Don’t ask me what an American Christmas looks like either because we had Mexican styled Christmas Eve and Chrismas day my dad cooked enough traditional England Christmas feast for the entire state of Texas even though it was only for our family of 5 and stragglers. 

Third, it’s not all about quantity- but quality. This represents lots of variations within the holiday season. Sometimes we had a limited amount of time with family that had traveled from their respective countries and we snuggled in every moment we got. Sometimes it meant that it had been a hard year and one gift for each of us was plenty. Sometimes we didn't even celebrate the holiday on the specific calendar date because of work schedules. Whatever we were given, we enjoyed to the fullest. 

Lastly, the reason for the holiday season is not the gifts or food. Thanksgiving was a gathering celebration of what they had to bring to the table- not arguing over who got the last roll or why there was no green bean casserole this year. Advent is a season of preparation for the coming of Jesus, not hustling from place to place looking for more and more and more gifts to outdo so and so or last years haul. Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birth and there should be some reflection time as such. 

So this holiday season, pause and reflect on the memories that you have of your past, some may be rough but you grew and overcame. Take time to reflect on the true meaning of the season, and remember that family is what God gives you- not always specified by your blood type but by His.