Shedding our cultural customs is like trying to leave behind a limb while it’s still attached. Firecrackers start going off in Costa Rica around Christmas time. I don’t get excited. Tell me about a well-basted turkey and pumpkin pie? Now we’re talking.

Since I don’t see the ads on television promoting the perfect holiday gathering, and my kids don’t make turkey crafts, the holiday wanes from my thoughts. And, I could probably skip the whole thing. Yet when a group of friends pool a few colones together to buy a turkey, I find myself mashing potatoes and looking forward to a holiday dinner.

Thanksgiving is a nice holiday since it’s about gratitude - one of my favorite subjects. And I like when kids get a chance to hang out while parents mill around and chat. That reminds of my home.

So, all over Costa Rica odds and ends of ex-pats try to duplicate a little bit of home by making stuffing and turkey and pumpkin pie. We’ve got to create a new network of aunts and uncles and cousins as we’re usually so far away from family.

And as our group sat around the table sharing the good things that happened over the year, it felt just like home. Plus, our turkey was probably the best I’d ever tasted! A welcome tradition!