Thanksgiving in the Tropics

The holidays have always been our favorite time of year. Thanksgiving is for big groups. Christmas Eve is for family under the tree celebrating Christmas dinner. The decorations come out. Diets go out the window. Let the holiday stress begin!

I always tried to show my children that Christmas can happen anywhere. It is celebrated all over the world in slightly different ways. Thanksgiving has always felt like an American holiday to me. Big turkeys, fixings, a great table, long cold walks to burn off some calories. As my children and grand children’s holidays change the venues for our celebrations have also become more flexible.

So this year I thought I would share what our Caribbean Thanksgiving looks like. Ann Marie Francis, our chef extraordinaire makes our Thanksgiving feast. For us it is all the regular fixings. She makes the most tender turkey I have ever seen. Her secret - (I asked her permission to disclose it) is to bake it in a brown paper bag. Seriously! So here’s it short list of what on the sturdy sideboard: