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:

Ala setting her table wearing our Kira Sheer Kaftan in Daiquiri

• Turkey (of course!)
• Stuffing (I like mine with fresh orange juice mixed in. We put some off the stuffing in the turkey and extra in the pan.)
• Gravy from drippings and wine. No flour.
• Mashed Sweet Potato topped with brownies marshmallow (for my southern roots).
• Mashed potatoes topped with cooked carmelized onions (to make my brother happy).
• Acorn squash browned in the oven with butter (in memory of my late mother in law).
• Green Peas with pearl onions and cream (to add a little green to all that starch!)
• Salad and cheese (for those who don’t not love desert.)
• Pecan and pumpkins pies with vanilla ice cream. (At this stage I just cannot eat anymore!)

It’s a little challenging to decorate the table but I try to stick to the traditional colors. I found ceramic pine cones gourds in the back of my closet as well as some deer antlers. I think I mixed that into Christmas one year. Happy recycling! A little Northeast mixed with Caribbean plenty.

I thought that Thanksgiving was a purely American pilgrim holiday. Antigans have their own wonderful way of celebrating it. Their version is centered on the harvest. They bring all their fresh produce to church and distribute it to those who need it. I am proud to become a new member of that tradition.

Off to take a nap now just thinking of all that tryptophan! Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours.