 Celebrating Christmas in America as a Jamaican is completely different from Christmas celebrated on the beautiful island of Jamaica. This year, I was very homesick. I missed seeing houses being painted in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I missed the preparation of goats and pigs for the big Christmas feast and while I dislike mannish water, I really missed the aroma of it from that outdoor kitchen. Most of all, I missed Grand market night, walking uptown, downtown, uptown, downtown Christmas eve night. To get as close to the traditions as possible, my mom still cooks her curried goat, brown stew oxtail, bakes the rum cake … but it is simply not the same. I think 2020 will be spent in Jamaica celebrating Christmas; after all, Moses has yet to experience a Jamaican Christmas. Nevertheless, while I adjust to what Christmas celebration has become for us living in America, it has been hard for us to create our own family traditions. Christmas Eve for us is decorating cookies and carrots for Santa and the Reindeers and that’s the only thing that is consistent. With that aside, this year, we were intentional as a family to giveback to the community. Though we volunteer at different organizations (Second Harvest, Give Kids the World) we wanted to do something tangible that could potentially change the lives of the persons we interacted with. We decided to do SHOEBOXES FOR HAITI as our tangible gift. It was an amazing experience for Moses as he was the decisionmaker of the content of each box. We did boys in his age group and since he is always begging for a sister, we did princess shoeboxes for babies 0-3months old. It was amazing to see his choice of gifts. With no budget, we went to the Disney store and Moses stuffed the boxes beyond capacity, constantly saying “they are gonna love this mommy”. It was one of the most meaningful givebacks for me. As a child growing up in Jamaica, I received a shoebox on three (3) separate occasions. It was a delightful experience as a child to get a box from “America”. While the contents were amazing, the best gift I ever received in the shoebox was a pen pal that I am friends with on Facebook today as an adult. The thought, that someone would not only send a stranger a gift for Christmas but also send a picture and contact information was mind-blowing!! Having received this joy as a child more than 20 years ago, we enclosed a handwritten note saying “I LOVE YOU” from Moses attached to our family portrait. As a small business, slowing growing, giving back to our customers and to our community has been the most rewarding and cherished part of this entrepreneurial adventure. It is our hope to increase our giving, tangible and intangible for 2020 and beyond to ensure that by example, we can show that it is effortless to care for each another. Share your Christmas cheers with us. . Tell us about how you celebrated Christmas this year? Did you volunteer any time or gifts to your community? We are excited to hear from you all. Happy Holidays!! Thank you for choosing Mojamaican. While this is not a tradition practiced by Jamaicans, Moses has fallen in love with the idea. We have been part-taking in this tradition for the past 2 years. It has been fun!!! Of course, we have decided to have everyone enjoy this family tradition with us. Here are some pictures of what Mr. Elf has been doing at MoJamaican. Clearly, he enjoys Jamaican Care Packages! What is The Elf on the Shelf®?The Elf on the Shelf® is a fun-filled Christmas tradition that has captured the hearts of children everywhere who welcome home one of Santa’s Scout Elves each holiday season. The magical Scout Elves help Santa manage his nice list by taking note of a family’s Christmas adventures and reporting back to Santa at the North Pole nightly. Each morning, the Scout Elf returns to its family and perches in a new spot, waiting for someone to spot them. Children love to wake up and race around the house looking for their Scout Elf.
You can tell Santa’s Official Scout Elves apart from other elves at the North Pole because they arrive in their official solid red jumpsuit with their very own storybook called The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition. Being able to homeschool our little ones is both a blessing and a privilege. Homeschooling our children means taking control of the lens through which they experience the world; in the most practical and natural environment. While homeschooling Moses we came to the understanding that others can benefit from him being an entrepreneur. How? As you study world cultures you have the opportunity to taste the culture. Studying Jamaica? Our homeschool explorer package includes snacks, fun facts and the flag of Jamaica. We know your kids will enjoy Jamaica in a box. Let us help you make homeschool fun!!!!
IngredientsFor 4 Person(s) Recipe
 It has been an amazing year shipping Jamaican Care Packages to your doorsteps. We are excited to serve you for many, many more years. Daily we learn more about what you all need and we go above and beyond to add them to our inventory.
Thank you for choosing MoJamaican. We love you! We appreciate your business Hello everyone!!! We have been so busy! Moses and Carlos are on summer break, Crystal is doing summer school and David is as busy as always.
While we have not blogged in a few weeks, we have maintained a strong presence on Instagram, follow us for frequent update (http://www.instagram.com/mojamaican). Our Facebook is not as updated because Crystal accidentally disconnected the two profiles, created a new profile, does not know how to delete the new profile and just a lot!. lol!! We will have it figured out soon. The blog says The Benjamins... what is that??? A NEW CATEGORY!!! The Benjamins is one of the trusted brands in Jamaica for products such as Rose Water, Bay Rum, Kananga Water and Ginger Extracts. For those unfamiliar with Bay Rum, it is used for thicker hair, more vibrant skin as a mood up lifter. Bay Rum is also helpful in hydrating and soothing your skin, especially after a shave. The oil of bay leaf also has pretty amazing healing powers, which is another reason it’s perfect for your skin in the winter months. In the past, it was used to relieve cuts and bruises. Bay leaf oil also has antifungal and anti-bacterial properties which can cure skin infections. Information on the Kananga water reads as follows. Plantations for producing Kananga water were established by the British in Jamaica in the 19th century. Kananga water, like Florida Water, is used in various rituals including spiritual cleaning. Its use is particularly common among people of the African diaspora. We added this category to give more of the Jamaican culture. We hope you enjoy each product. Thank you for your commitment to our brand and delivering the best Jamaican Care Packages to you and your loved ones. Thank you for choosing MoJamaican. |
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