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My (Not So) Lonely Christmases Abroad

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There is something about Christmas that I’ve always loved. It is a combination of the lights and glittery decorations, the excitement of opening a gift (which is still fun, even now that I am 32 years old!), and of course, spending quality time with family and friends… and let’s not forget great traditions, like my mom’s German-style cookies!

German-style Christmas cookies baked by my mom

German-style Christmas cookies baked by my mom

But what happens when you move abroad, to a brand new country? Traveling alone can get lonely at the best of times, and it can feel remarkably lonelier during the holidays, when everyone else is spending time with family and friends. Despite Christmas being “just another day” in the big scheme of things, the prospect that I could end up spending Christmas all alone is a little sad.

Yet, I’ve been lucky over the three Christmases I’ve spent abroad, as I’ve had the chance to spend them with wonderful people who took me in, and made it a day to remember. It also gave me the chance to get to experience different customs and traditions, which is always a nice change from the traditions I am used to.

Me at Beach, in Wollongong, Christmas Day 2011

Me at Beach, in Wollongong, Christmas Day 2011

Wollongong, Australia (Christmas 2011)
On my one Christmas I spent Down Under, my flatmate Skye invited me to leave Sydney behind and spend the holidays with her and her family in Wollongong, a small town a couple of hours south by train from Sydney.

Christmas felt quite different in Australia; falling in the middle of summer, the temperature was in the mid 30s celsius and the typical Christmas lunch consisted of a BBQ, seafood, and plenty of beer – a big change from the Turkey dinners and endless wine that I am used to.

After opening gifts with the family on Christmas morning, Skye and I went over to a beautiful nearby beach for a stroll on the golden sands, before returning to her family’s place for our BBQ lunch, and socializing with family and neighbours through the evening and until late at night.

My Christmas in Australia was my first Christmas away from my family, but Skye and her family made sure I felt absolutely welcome.

Cycling around London with new friends, Christmas day 2013 Christmas in London 2013

London, England (Christmas 2013)
The first Christmas after I moved to London was spent with my flatmate Colin at his friend (now my friend too) Olly’s house, with a group of their friends. I had only just moved to London and met Colin one month prior, but he was kind enough to invite me to the orphan’s celebration.

On Christmas eve we all came together for a delicious vegetarian dinner (a spicy nut roast was the main dish) and drinks. On Christmas morning, after a lovely breakfast by Olly, we exchanged some gifts, and then went for a bike ride along London’s empty streets – that’s right, on Christmas day, London’s streets become a ghost town, as all transit shuts down for the day, making it a cycling paradise! Christmas dinner consisted of another festive vegetarian meal, followed by relaxed drinks and socializing through the night.

Belfast City Hall, Northern Ireland (December 2014)

Belfast City Hall, Northern Ireland (December 2014)

Kilclief, Northern Ireland (Christmas 2014)
My second Christmas in London was the closest I came to spending Christmas alone. My boyfriend Eamonn (whom I had just met that August), my flatmates and pretty much all of my friends had plans to leave the city for the holidays, so I had resigned myself to the fact that I’d spend Christmas by myself, likely surrounded by other lonely souls in a pub in London.

Last minute, Eamonn asked me to go over to Northern Ireland to spend it with his family, so I jumped at the chance.

To save money on ridiculous airfare, I ended up taking the bus/ferry/bus/bus 14-hour overnight trip on the way over the Belfast, where I spent a really fun day and night with Eamonn, before making the trip over to the small town of Kilclief where his family lives. We spent a lovely Christmas eve and Christmas day visiting with his family and friends, and I had the chance to meet all of his family at once – a little nerve-wracking, but I was welcomed with open arms!

*****

So there you go, spending Christmas abroad doesn’t have to be lonely. There will always be good friends to take you in and new traditions to experience during the celebrations… and worst case scenario, spending Christmas at a festive pub doesn’t sound too bad to me anyways!


Filed under: •Belfast, •London, •NSW: Sydney

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