MINA G.
In Ghana, the weather is nice on Christmas Day. You can wear a short-sleeved dress. It was my favorite day of the year. We would first go to church and then come home and have fun with family and friends. We would have a big dinner of chicken and rice. We would wrap pieces of chicken, onions and tomatoes in leaves and cook them over an open fire. For the rice, we would add sliced onions and oil and cook it over the fire, too. I've never tasted anything like that in Canada.
When dinner was all cooked, we would share it with family and friends. Everybody would bring more food to share. After dinner, we would sit in the living room and listen to music and talk.
Eight years ago, I moved to Canada. My first Christmas in Canada was terrible. We had no friends to go and visit. It was just my sons, Michael and John, and me. We went to church in the morning and then we came home. We had no food to eat. One lady in the building where we lived knew that we didn't have food, so she gave us some on Christmas Day. She gave us chicken with rice and potatoes. We ate dinner alone in the apartment. I felt very sad.
Christmas last year was very different. It was wonderful!
My friends at church gave me Christmas gifts and cards. We went out to dinner at Swiss Chalet with friends. After dinner, Michael and John went out with their friends. I was much happier. Now I feel good about Christmas again.