How to take part in Christmas from Abroad

How to take part in Christmas from Abroad

The Christmas holiday season can be a bit of a struggle as a traveller. Do you go home and celebrate during this time of togetherness? Or do you prefer to continue your adventures, save money on the extortionate flights and treat it as a normal day?

For some, it’s important to them that they go home, they feel drawn to their families and friends and would feel regret if they didn’t. For others, it’s not a big deal if they miss out – besides, they’ll see them another time, so why does it have to be on THAT day of the year?

If you choose to stay away from home this year, here are some things you can do to let your loved ones know that you’re thinking of them, and still feel like you’ve taken part from where you are in the world.

 

Celebrate on a different date

Arrange in advance to celebrate either before or after Christmas day, depending on your travel plans. You might prefer to celebrate Christmas at another time of year, when flights home are more affordable and at a time when you can all get together. Making up for missing Christmas means you can have your own celebration at a different time of year, so you’ve still got something to look forward to. Christmas in Spring could be fun, or swap Easter for Christmas!!

 

Send gifts home

If you’d still like to send gifts despite not being able to hand them over in person, why not send some gifts home or send something that represents where you are?

Make sure you plan well ahead though – sending via the postage system where you are could take a long time to get home, or costs could mount up if you’re sending large packages overseas. You may prefer to consider using an international courier like Shiply and have more control over which company you use with your chosen pick up date and estimated arrival dates.

You may wish to send all your gifts in one package to one friend or family member, who can then distribute them from your home country. Again, make sure you send everything in good time so it’s able to reach everyone before Christmas.

 

Set up a video call

Organise a time on the day for a video call. Depending on where you are, it can be tricky to work around the time difference, but there should normally be a time where you can make the call even if it’s not ideal. Don’t just spring it on them though, as they might be in the midst of a stressful cooking experience or an intense board game. Agree on a time in advance and let them know in good time if you’re not able to make the time you’ve agreed. Check your video equipment in advance to make sure everything is working correctly so you’re not scrambling around with the technology when the time comes.

 

Wherever you’ll be during this holiday season, enjoy it !!!

22 thoughts on “How to take part in Christmas from Abroad

  1. We go back home for Christmas (UK > France) but have to travel light… So we often order a number of things from French websites to lighten up the suitcases! Personnalised calendars are brilliant.

  2. We’ll be in North America, either LA or Mexico for Christmas this year and we’ve talked just today about what we should do. We decided that Christmas is just like any other day so we’ll treat it like one lol. Thanks for your post.

  3. These are cute ideas for a Christmas at home – and they sound very laid back, that’s something I’d like for these stressful days. Thanks for the inspiration – and happy holidays!

  4. These are all great ideas! My family is pretty small so we like to travel together around the holidays instead of doing gifts! It’s always such a good time

  5. I really like the idea of sending presents home and especially celebrating on a different date….My oldest is always gone for Thanksgiving at school so we have a “Thanksgiving “ when he gets home 🙂

  6. When I was growing up, we used to spend Christmas in Hawaii. But my mom set up the actual holiday at home on a day before our trip, I am assuming so she didn’t have to pack presents. She always told us that Santa knew we wouldn’t be at home so he is making a trip from the North Pole just for us!

  7. Great ideas! I’m spending this Christmas in Australia (where it’ll be steaming hot!) so it will be an interesting way to celebrate the holiday season.

  8. I struggle with not being home for Christmas this year. We’ll have a skype call on the day though and arranged a family get together shortly after Christmas when I can be home 🙂

  9. I haven’t experienced celebrating the Christmas season far from my family. I would like to always be with them during Christmas. It will be so lonely to celebrate it all by myself. These are great tips from someone who still wants to travel far from his or her family during the Christmas season.

  10. Such a great options available for spending the Christmas. If I was abroad, I’d opt in for the Skype option. I love spending the Christmas with my folks. It’s always a large one.

  11. I like the idea of sending Christmas gifts back home. Or better still, picking up collectibles and decorations for one’s own home. We went in October and got back pretty lights to use for Diwali 🙂

  12. Where I’m visiting this Christmas doesn’t celebrate Christmas so I’ll skip it all together! I will arrange a Skype call with my parents though. My daughter also lives in a country that doesn’t celebrate Christmas so she won’t require calling either!

  13. I love these ideas. I’m not planning to be away from home this year but I do have family all over the world and we often have Skype calls around viagra Christmas where we pull crackers and open presents and sing along to Christmas songs so we can feel close to each other at this special time!

  14. When we were abroad we set up a skype call and we sent some gifts abroad. The skype call was a little hard to organise because of the time difference. It’s not as good as being there but it still nice to do.

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