Even if you’re miles from home...
20 November 2018
| Last updated on 26 November 2018
Christmas 2013, and I have tracked down the one and only Santa in Doha, Qatar - a skinny guy, “Santa” is deep in the bowels of a shopping mall, in a soulless room just off the basement parking area.
Christmas 2014 is a little easier. Santa is at the newly refurbished Sheraton Hotel. But this year, there’s a mob of families trying to get a picture with him.
Pushy mommies shove each other to get the shot, and I can’t manage to find a gap… so I pop my son into the photo Santa is posing for with a lovely Egyptian family, and our 2014 picture is of my kid and a bunch of people we don’t know.
As near-impossible as it was to get our picture taken with Santa in Qatar every year, I was a woman possessed. This was our tradition (as decided by me), and Christmas is all about tradition, especially when you are 10,000km away from home.
In our decade as expats in Qatar, our little family’s Christmas traditions became increasingly important to our kids as they grew older. They were a cultural touchstone, a reminder of home, and most importantly, they embedded in our kids' memories of family and of being together.
So if you, like me, are an expat mom, raising your family far from your home country and stuck there this Christmas, here are some tips for making it a special festive season, even if you feel a little homesick.
1. Decorate!
Nothing says Christmas like a wreath on the front door, a beautifully styled Christmas vignette on your entryway console, and a smattering of festive-style decorations throughout your home.
Pick a theme or colour scheme, put out the votive candles, string up some fairy lights, and bring that gorgeous festive feeling right into your everyday life.
2. Get the kids crafting
Pinterest is crammed with simple Christmas craft ideas for kids. Pick just one craft - decorating cardboard gingerbread houses, or making salt-dough tree ornaments - set up the equipment.
And invite a few of your child’s playmates over for a crafting playdate. It’s a different way to spend an afternoon, and best of all, gives everyone a chance to connect without a phone or tablet in sight.
3. Involve the kids
The best way to make it a family Christmas to remember is to get the family involved.
Let the kids design Christmas cards, then either scan and email or mail them to your friends and family back home.
Decorating the tree should also be a family event - put some carols on and let them at it (just be sure to string the lights on the tree beforehand, and to let go of any vision you may have of a tastefully decorated Christmas tree!).
4. Bake
Christmas baking is huge in the US, and we back any tradition that involves cookies. Look online for recipes that put a festive spin on classics.
Or bake a pile of sugar cookies and decorate them together with your kids. You can even package your baked goods and give them as gifts to neighbours, work colleagues and the kids’ teachers.
5. Start new traditions
Every family has their Christmas traditions, but try adding in one new tradition a year just for the fun of it.
Elf on the Shelf has become really popular in recent years, and there are plenty of witty, tongue-in-cheek ideas on Pinterest for where to place him every day.
Another great tradition is Christmas Movie Night - invest in festive-themed pyjamas for everyone (including Dad), find a Christmas movie that’s appropriate for all ages (Polar Express!), make some popcorn, and settle in by the flickering lights of the tree for a family movie night.
It’s a cosy way to spend an evening together, and trust me, you’ll soon realise - as I did - that no matter where you are, home is actually a place in your heart reserved for your little tribe.
