Christmas was always one of the most celebrated holidays back in the island, every year in American Samoa, Christmas celebrations are magical. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday; it brings back so many memories of my childhood. Growing up in an area of poverty not every Christmas we would get a gift, but somehow it was always special to celebrate Christmas. It was tradition in family to celebrate Christmas not because of opening presents but because of celebrating the birth of Christ. Well, it was actually a bit of both for my family and although we were poor, my family always found a way to get us presents. If my parents don’t have any gifts for us, it either be relatives or friends who would provide gifts, but like I mentioned it wasn’t about gifts. It was about enjoying family time and I think that’s what made Christmas so magical for me.
“CHRISTMAS IN MY FAMILY“
Christmas in my family have always been celebrated so magically that it made me love the holiday even more and every year I couldn’t wait for Christmas. It was the time of the year where everyone from abroad would travel to the island to celebrate and enjoy the holidays. In my family Christmas wasn’t always about wrapped up presents but spending time with loved ones and telling stories until dawn. It was kind of like a family gathering but bigger, way bigger and there is always a big feast. I’m talking about a feast that will last a week but gone in one day, that’s how big our Christmas gatherings were. Every year as a kid I’d hope for a present and my parents would always try their best to acquire one. Sometimes they couldn’t afford for three kids, but nevertheless we were always grateful, for they are the greatest gift any kid could have. Not only was it celebrated religiously in my family but the whole island as well, every year for Christmas the whole island lights up like a Christmas tree. I remember our Christmas in 2018, our island put on so many decorations and lights that our governor received a call that a flight was having trouble landing. So, the next year every family house was limited to 3 light decorations per house, it was a moment I would never forget.
“A MILITARY CHRISTMAS”
For the past 4 years I have been celebrating Christmas with my fellow soldiers in the military, and to be honest it was totally different from Christmas back home. I was without family to celebrate Christmas with like usual, and it was kind of depressing, but I gained something positive from that experience. Little did I know there were also people like me who can’t go home to be with their families for the holidays. Even though we were complete strangers, all of us got along well, and I celebrated Christmas with them like how I celebrated Christmas with my family. One of the other reasons why I think Christmas is magical, it brings people together, even though we weren’t with our families, we had each other. Honestly, it kind of change how I viewed Christmas, it made me think that not everyone was enjoying Christmas like how I has.
–REGARDS–
“I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving, and is reading to their Christmas spirit fired up, merry early Christmas to you all”.
Mindy Haley
Thanks for sharing your Christmas stories. I was reminded of the few years when I worked on Christmas, back when I was a 911 dispatcher. It was disappointing that we couldn’t all be home with our families for Christmas, but it’s not like people stop having emergencies because of the holiday. I volunteered to work a couple of the years because I was single and didn’t have children. I wanted to be able to save at least one of my peers from having to miss Christmas with their kids, so I made sure I was on the schedule for December 25. We always found ways to make the day special in the call center, and being with co-workers who were already a tight-knit group was kind of like being with family anyway.
Brendon Mowery
Hey Kenese,
Great job on your post for this week! I really liked your layout, and it was easy to follow. Christmas has also been my favorite holiday. We also were taught that Christmas wasn’t all about gifts, which seems to be the case nowadays. It was cool to hear about what Christmas was like in American Samoa! That’s wild that you all had so many decorations and lights that planes couldn’t even land! It seems like celebrating Christmas in the army is so drastically different than it was back home. Thank you for your service! It is quite the adjustment and change of having your first Christmas away from family but I’m glad that you were able to find others there who could relate to your situation. Great job on your post and keep up the good work!