GoodHeart | No place like home
Lij Tafari Smith returns to Ja for the holidays
Published:Saturday | January 10, 2026 | 12:09 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
In a world where each country is a new book, and travelling becomes the words of untold stories for those pages, Lij Tafari Smith has made it his mission to explore a new culture for the holidays. So it came as no surprise when the educator and social media influencer took followers and fans on an exciting journey from Japan to the United States. What they never anticipated was that his final stop would be home.
“I returned home to Jamaica during the holidays for several reasons. Firstly, I wanted to reconnect with my family and my friends. And also, just seeing how many things had passed; COVID-19 happened, Hurricane Melissa happened, I just felt like it was time to recalibrate and just reconnect with my roots,” he told GoodHeart.
For each of his seasonal trips, Smith conducts a poll, asking social media followers to guess the location of his destinations. “It’s something that I do all the time for entertainment. Sometimes, I even derail for fun. Every Christmas, the moment I get on the plane, I create the poll. The correct option is usually presented, but this time around, I wasn’t giving them any ideas. My destination came as a huge surprise for everyone,” he shared.
The journey began in Los Angeles, where a friend from his high school alma mater, Kingston College, hosted him. He described that trip as surprisingly different from his previous visit because he felt as though he was with family.
Speaking of family, he went on to make an overnight stop in Miami, Florida, where he stayed with his big brother. “Here’s an interesting fact about me: I have 36 brothers and sisters. I’ve never stopped in any of my father’s children’s houses before. So for us to have this very deep talk about family and hear him share how much he respects me, and that wherever I am in the world, he wants [me] to know that he loves me and I am always welcome. That came as another surprise for me.
With the second stop becoming even more emotional than he had imagined, making the trip even more meaningful for him, he geared up for the third and final destination of his journey. “When Mommy told me that she wasn’t feeling the Christmas spirit this year, I decided to surprise her, just to make her feel extra special. Her reaction was priceless,” said Smith, who has missed six Christmases at home. “My grandma was also back on the island, and it was her 80th birthday, so I planned the Christmas dinner for the family, beach trips and other excursions. I really wanted the family to come together. They were my first set of supporters and adjudicators.” He also took the time out to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones he had formed via social media.
His first food stop in Jamaica was KFC. From there, he continued to tick off his must-have list of jerk chicken and his mother’s famous stew peas. “Christmas dinner was the bomb; it left me in a food coma.”
For Smith, while there are obvious differences with the home he once knew five years ago, the island still stays true to its warm and friendly nature. “I used to judge my friends when they moved away because I used to say, ‘You were just gone for two years, how do you not remember these things?’ But I have experienced that and realised that reverse culture shock is a real thing; coming back and not necessarily forgetting things per se, but not remembering to its full extent. So, it was quite interesting coming back.”
He continued, “The friendliness of the people was something that has never changed. Just seeing people on the streets saying, ‘Hey, welcome back to Jamaica,’ seeing public figures, seeing companies also inviting me and giving stuff like Chicken & Tings, Devon House Bakery and Pimentos. They literally gave me ‘welcome back to Jamaica’ gifts. The gestures were so thoughtful and definitely appreciated.”
The only word he could use to capture this two-and-a-half-week experience was magical. “Five years away was too long. I’m not done with Jamaica. I need to come and immerse myself more, and I need to see my family and friends again. So I’m gonna work on saving my money and coming back sooner rather than later.”
For anybody who wants to return home for a visit, especially in Jamaica, Smith recommends being honest about the reason you have stayed away for so long in the first place. “That introspection matters. Also, talk to the people at home about it. Maybe it is that you don’t want to come back because of family trauma or some issues, or just being very scared because I’ve had friends who were very sceptical of coming back because of the crime rate and stuff like that, but I also say, don’t knock it until you have tried it.”