How to Embrace the Holidays Away from Home Without Loosing the Magic
I have spent nine of the past ten holiday seasons overseas. For my family and me, it is Christmas, and I am about to have another one here in Australia. This time of year is about a wide variety of cultural practices, religious holidays, and community gatherings. However you choose to celebrate it, that time at the end of December to the beginning of January tends to have a focus on family and time spent together. For someone who is an Expat, or away from family and friends, this can be a challenging time of year. Frequently torn between new experiences and old traditions, we can get stuck mourning what missing at the expense of what we have to experience.
January marks 11 years that I have been an expat living in Australia. I have gone from being single and on my own over Christmas, to be with friends, then a partner, and now my husband and children. Christmas day I have spent alone and volunteered at a soup kitchen in Ballarat all the way to the top of a dune on the Southern Ocean with my family. Along the way, I have been privileged to have friends who have taken me in, families who have invited me to join them, and community events to attend. While I now have my own family, I still struggle when I see the white Christmas on my Facebook feed, and the pictures of my parent’s house done up for the season. When I close my eyes I can even smell it; Christmas as I know it.
These past 11 years have taught me a lot. And one of the most significant learning is that to enjoy where you are; you have to embrace your new culture. Respect your home traditions, but don’t mourn them. To that end, here are my best;
10 Tips for Embracing the Holidays While Away from Home.
Christmas in summer. I might not ever get used to it. And that's okay.
1. Embrace where you are;
Where you are now is different from where you are from. You might be travelling, or you might have moved because of a job opportunity. Whatever the reason, you are there for a purpose. Embrace the local people, the customs, the culture. Learn about it, be part of it, and enthusiastically experience it. Don’t waste your time mourning what you are missing. It will not make where you are any different, but it will lessen the joy you get from the holiday season!
2. Embrace new adventures and experiences;
The benefit of not having your holiday experience mapped out for you by traditions is that you are now free to try everything else! What is happening where you are? Festivities, celebrations, events? Take some time to research where you are and what they are famous for during the holiday season. There might be an exciting new adventure on your horizon!
3. Embrace your home culture;
While it's important to embrace where you are, nothing is stopping you from bringing a few your traditions and celebrate them with your new ones. Pick a few elements of your holiday tradition and share them with your family or new community. It might be a part of a meal, activity, or a style of gifting. In an example, I like to make my family’s gingerbread recipe to share when we visit friends over the holiday season. It’s delicious part of winter Christmas that is suitable to be eaten at the beach in Australia!
4. Embrace technology;
Skype, Google Hangouts, and Facetime, to name a few. Pick one, get it on your phone or computer and make sure everyone you want to connect with has done the same. Get this organized in advance, as no one wants to be engaged in one of those ‘I can’t see you, are you logged on?’ conversations when you only have half an hour before the kid's nap time. We have been skyping out Christmas present opening for years. Everywhere from our living room to the top of a dune (several times on the dune in fact!). Be sure to get your call time scheduled in, and account for time-change.
5. Embrace online shopping;
And teach your family how to do the same. Unless you are super organized (like, September organized) don’t ship gifts home. In addition to being expensive, it can take a very long time to arrive. It can set the family up for disappointment if the gift doesn’t come in time to go under the Christmas tree. Shopping online has become extremely accessible. A not just limited to the big stores; Etsy and other online marketplaces make shopping small and local available globally.
6. Embrace gifting experiences;
Sometimes material gifts are neither practical, or the best way to gift over the holidays. If you are travelling, consider asking family for something that will contribute to your travels, maybe dinner at a restaurant you otherwise could not afford. Or if you live overseas, family memberships for places like the zoo are great ways for grandparents and family members to be directly involved and giving a gift that lasts an entire year.
7. Embrace friends and community;
Spending the day on your own or with only your immediate family can feel a bit isolating your tradition is large family gatherings. If you are short on family to spend Christmas with, consider reaching out to friends or the community. We have had beautiful holidays camping with friends or picnicking with neighbours. There might also be events in your neighbourhood, such as Christmas lunch that is open to anyone who would like to join.
8. Embrace planning;
The holiday season is fast approaching, and you don't know what it is going to look like away from home? Take action! Don’t wait for the holidays to just happen to you, as this is a lot more likely to lead to disappointment. Start now and make a plan. What do you want to get out of the holidays? What is important to you and your family? What sort of experience would you like to have? Once you know this, start making a plan, and invite others to join. You might be surprised how many other people are also unsure what to do and will jump on board!
9. Embrace new traditions;
All traditions started somewhere. Even those more sacred to you! Nothing is stopping you from creating your family traditions this year. Consider what is important to you and your family, and make that your tradition. Invite others to join, and find ways to include those back home who cannot be there. Once you open yourself up to new traditions, the loss of old ones becomes a lot less painful.
10. Embrace change;
All of the above points come down to the same issue, embracing change. As an adult, this can be difficult. Although many people place travelling and living overseas very high on the bucket list of life, it can still be difficult during the holiday season. I know for myself there have been years I have wanted a change of scenery every other day but wished for Christmas as I had always known it. Acceptance of new circumstances comes with embracing change and moving forward with positively.
On a final note, traditions over the holiday season are often ones we participate in without questioning why we have them. If looking at what to bring with you and what to leave behind, it might be time to examine your traditions and think about what needs to be left behind?
Feeling isolated while living overseas is often not for a specific holiday or event, but the uncertainty about how many you will be missing in the future. If you are searching for a solution, connect with us and join our community!
Although I am not sure this will ever look like Christmas to me, it's a nice way to spend the holiday season!
