By Isa Ghani

Daily Titan Multimedia Editor

Thank you, thank you, thanks to you and terima kasih to you.

See, Thanksgiving’s coming up soon, so it’s only fitting that I give thanks to everyone in order to get into the spirit.

What? That’s not how Thanksgiving works? Oh. Pilgrims you say? I see.

Well, I’m not from around here, so excuse me.

Regardless, the holiday season is upon us. The Christmas decorations are coming up, turkeys are on sale in the grocery stores and every department store has “the perfect gift.”

Here’s a hint for no extra charge – no matter what, never give a guy socks. They are never a good present and I’m sorry, but I will never like socks for Christmas. But putting something in a sock, like money or 24-carat gold nuggets is a different story entirely.

Aside from all the heavy commercialization related to major holidays in America, Thanksgiving and Christmas appear to be the most family-friendly occasions to Americans.

Christmas has become a holiday that is celebrated worldwide (but especially in America) and has little to do with race, age or social status. Yes, it is associated with the birth of Jesus Christ, but you don’t have to be Christian to enjoy the spirit of Christmas. I believe the spirit of giving is what makes the holiday appealing to people from all walks of life.

As for Thanksgiving, it’s a great holiday by my count: no presents to buy, thus, no fret of breaking the bank. And the main celebratory activity is eating large amounts of meat and imbibing wine until nearly comatose. Lovely.

I find that among my American friends, Christmas and Thanksgiving are the holidays that no one would miss. Everyone makes a point to get out of the dorms/apartments/flats to go home and visit family.

All the siblings turn up as well as assorted cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents. Gifts are exchanged, food is cooked and comments on one’s recent weight gain are given.

As my friends say, the holidays are one of those strange times when you love and hate your family simultaneously.

It’s great being home and having your mom’s cooking again. So what if she isn’t a perfect chef or if half the food on the table is take-out from Ralph’s – it’s about the memories of the childhood years spent around the dinner table.

It’s nice seeing dad again, even though he’s still whining about his back and how the economy is worse than it was in his day. I still enjoy putting up the lights and decorations around the house with him.

It’s great to see the siblings too – we all compare who’s doing better or make fun of the new significant other brought home for the holiday awkwardness.

For me, Christmas in Malaysia was just another holiday. That’s because we just had three major holidays, each with a break of two weeks to a month.

First, we have Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the Muslim holiday of New Year’s, where the tradition is to open your house up to friends and neighbors, provide delicious home-cooked food and have them return the favor by inviting you over.

Next is Chinese New Year. A major point of this holiday is to wear red, eat Mandarin oranges and receive ang pow – little red packets of money from your relatives. No gift giving here, just cold hard cash, exactly how I like it.

Lastly, we have Christmas. In my house, my parents made it a point to make Christmas special for us children. Every year, my dad would take us to a park and help us pick out a big, dead branch. My little sister and brother would spend hours picking out the perfect branch.

We’d then spend the next couple of days decorating that branch with ornaments, tinsel and cotton wool to make it look like a a tree during a winter snow. Dress it up with lights, plop a star on top and you have yourself a great homemade Christmas tree without paying the ridiculous prices they charge at some of the Christmas tree lots they have in the U.S.

As expected, the presents would appear under the decaying plant Christmas morning – but we always knew they were from mom and dad, no lies about Santa here.

I have a large family back home, and I miss every single one of them.

So whilst you guys can love or hate going back for the holidays, getting reacquainted with your mom’s home-cooked turkey or your dad’s arthritis, remember this: at least you get to go home for the holidays.

There are plenty of us aliens out there who are thousands of miles away from home, and when the holidays come around, those miles sure do seem a lot farther.

So enjoy your holidays and your families while you have them. Or better yet, invite your local “Alien in America” over for some turkey. I’m sure they’d like some.

Happy Holidays, everyone.