Celebrating Christmas abroad?

Tom Dunne

I'm living in Bahrain the last two years, so this will be my second Christmas here. We had a large dinner yesterday, with about 15 adults and 9 kids and it was great fun. Everyone was in the Christmas spirit and with Christmas FM playing in the background, it added to the day.

No problem getting turkey or ham here, and Christmas trees, lights, crackers and decorations are just as easy to get as back home in Ireland.

So, if you are living abroad, how are you celebrating this Christmas?

Jim2007

This will be my 23rd Christmas here in Switzerland!!! The wife is Swiss and the kids are multilingual, speaking two Swiss dialects, High German and of course English.

Here in Switzerland it is very much a family celebration, with almost all types of public entertainment closing down for the period.

There is no "food tradition", so ever family has their own ideas - ours is a rack of Irish Lamb, especially ordered at the local butchers and costing an arm and a leg so to speak Irish Lamb is common for Christmas, but you got to put your order in at the beginning of the month, otherwise you'll be stuck with local stuff :rolleyes:

Christmas is usually celebrated on the 24th rather than the 25th and as I write this the kids are in the living room decorating the natural Christmas tree that we bought this morning at the market... later on when it get's dark my wife will add the real candles (standard here) and light them! Then there will be carol singing, the kids will do their party piece (if I hear White Christmas once more on the tuba I'll....:eek:) and then we'll turn to exchanging presents. Here presents are something you make not buy, which means Switzerland becomes an army of arts and crafts types from Nov to mid Dec...

Tomorrow Dad will give Mom the day off and put on the apron. I'll do the Lamb with lots of roast veg (home grown parsnips, carrots, onions, spuds and some bought sweet potatoes). And to top it off we'll have some Irish Christmas cake, made by my Swiss wife

Unfortunately there will be an air of sadness to our Christmas this year, because my father-in-law passed away just two weeks ago. In addition to being my father-in-law, he was also my very good friend - He always made me feel like one of his family and he could never do enough for you, it did not matter if he had known you all his life or had just met you. We were very luck to have him in our lives.

silja

Jim- I am originally from Switzerland We always had Fondue Chinoise (sp?) for Christmas, on Christmas eve of course. We still celebrate the Swiss tradition of opening presents on Christmas eve at dusk by opening all the Swiss grandma's presents (my mum still lives in Switzerland) then.

Tom- kind of surprised you can get ham where you are! Special ex-pat shops?

Now I live in Arkansas. We are spending today relaxing, the shops are always crazy the last few days before Christmas so did all the food shopping Wednesday and have not ventures into the malls since. Opening "Santa's" presents for the kids in the morning, theoretically at dawn but they'll likely be up early. They get some sweets and small toys (hot wheel car, hair bows etc) in their stockings which have been hanging from the fireplace since Thanksgiving, and then one or two bigger toys each. Not having a big meal- that is done on Thanksgiving- but crazing throughout the day., with a visit to my sister-in-law in the afternoon.

Tom Dunne

silja wrote: »

Tom- kind of surprised you can get ham where you are! Special ex-pat shops?

Nope. In the regular supermarket.

Though it is quite funny, it's like buying porn. There is a special section marked "For non-Muslims only" where all the pork products are kept. You feel a bit dirty coming out of the section.

dogwoodflower

Celebrating Christmas in the States... will be spending half of Christmas actually driving on the road to another state....... doesnt feel like Christmas with no traditions or people that you usually spend the holidays with... but its not too bad so far

The Hill Billy

Thankfully, I got home (to Ireland) for the Christmas with my wife & kids. It was great to spend 2 whole weeks with them. Am just back in work in Switzerland today so a belated "Frohe Festtage zäme!"

I hope that all ye boardsies who spent Christmas in foreign lands had a good one.

Mr. Loverman

First Christmas in China.

Although there are Christmas trees and decorations etc. everywhere, the Christmas atmosphere was missing on Christmas Eve/Day. It's hard to explain but I guess it's a feeling of excitement in the air.

On Christmas day I had a few beers, ate non-Christmasy food (Chinese dumplings I think) and in general just chilled out. But really it could have been any other day.