A Time to Give Thanks

Since 2010, the first Sunday in December has been set aside to celebrate Cayman’s own Thanksgiving. This year, our Casa classrooms decided to join in the fun.  While 2020 has certainly been a challenging year for all of us – children and adults alike – we have so much to be thankful for! 

In the days leading up to our Thanksgiving feast, children were invited to create crafts and complete projects encouraging them to express their gratitude. Written on the tail feathers of the children’s Thanksgiving turkeys were things they were thankful for: necessities such as food and clean water; important things such as family and friends; and fun things such as movies or recess. 

Older children created Thanksgiving booklets, with each page depicting in words and pictures how children would complete the sentence, “I am thankful for….” It was wonderful to see them realizing how rich their lives are in blessings of every kind. 

We wanted our Thanksgiving meal to include some tastes of Cayman, so the Casa 2 children helped to prepare some fried plantain.  They especially loved having a chance to flip them over while they were cooking!

Finally, on Friday, it was time for our Casa community to feast! Parents were invited to contribute dishes, and we had a LOT of food! There was everything from macaroni and cheese, rice and beans, and Cayman-style beef, to guacamole and chips, mashed potatoes, and breadfruit salad.  There were plenty of desserts, too:  apple pies, cookies, gulab jamun, and fruit cake. Children even got to taste some traditional Cayman beverages: swanky and tamarind juice.

The food and drinks were definitely delicious, but the best part of the day was simply being able to enjoy a good meal with all of our friends. It is our hope that the children will remember all the lessons of this week and make thankfulness a virtue they cultivate every day.