Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Holiday traditions were meant to be shared, passed down through generations working side-by-side in the kitchen or sharing stories around the living room. But for one group of Afghan women who have resettled in California—many of whom have been separated from their family for years—new memories are being created with friends who understand the complex joy and sadness of celebrating far from home.
“You miss home, you miss your country, and also can find comfort in the new community that you have here,” she continues, adding, “I’m grateful that we are able to be a part of that community.”, checks in with each woman at our table, following up on conversations they had earlier this year when she joined the group to cook traditional Afghan food.
One woman tells me of how after arriving in the States in the wake of 9/11, she was able to teach soldiers vital language skills before they went off to the Middle East. Another speaks of helping newly resettled families set up email addresses, handle paperwork and find housing amid the extraordinarily expensive California real estate market.
“There’s a lot of joy in discovering each other’s new rituals too,” she says, a feeling many of us in the room experienced as we tried new foods and listened to the aforementioned poetry. Even though some of us don’t understand the language, the duchess notes that she feels the emotion behind their words as she listens to their hopes for a better future.“You find comfort in things you know, but you find so much community and connection in things you don’t know, as well,” Markle shares.
“I love the holidays,” the Duchess of Sussex says, sharing that Archie and Lilibet are now “three and five, so every year it gets better.” It turns out that for the Sussexes, the holiday looks—minus Gloria Steinem, perhaps—just like most any American Thanksgiving dinner. “We’re always making sure we have something fun to do,” Markle says. “Like any other family you spend time having a great meal and then what do you do? Play games, all the same stuff, someone brings a guitar—fun.”
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