4ever Discovering
My First Christmas Abroad: Where is the Snow?
What is the holiday season without food, snow, and your family?
It’s hard to believe I just spent my first Christmas not in Canada. There was no snow, no christmas lights, and no Minesing Santa riding around the village on the firetruck. I love my family traditions around the holiday season; I love going to Costco with my mom to buy all of the appetizers for Christmas Eve, I love playing bingo and exchanging secret santa, and I love watching Christmas Vacation every year and laughing at my grandpa’s favourite part. Needless to say, I love Christmas. And the part I love most, is all of the activities leading up to Christmas Day. Forget about the gifts, I love all the quirky little things we do as a family, and I am not ashamed!
Being my first Christmas away from home, you could say I was a little (cough cough, a lot) upset. I found the best way to cope with my holiday blues was to not really think about it. That wasn’t very hard because there isn’t a lot of signs of Christmas around Taipei. With it not being an official holiday, not much of the city was decorated for Christmas. You know that old saying “out of sight, out of mind”? That’s what I kept telling myself. Emily and I bought a little Christmas tree for our apartment, but it just couldn’t seal the deal. It was not the same.
I think the hardest part about be away for Christmas was knowing my family was not keeping up with all of the traditions. They were feeling a little ‘unfestive’ as well, so it just wasn’t the same for anyone. I think we all came to realize Christmas is best spent with the people we love, and that’s what makes it so special. We could be anywhere in the world, but as long as we are together, it is still a special time spent with our loved ones. I knew even halfway across the world, they wouldn’t be able to truly enjoy their holiday with a void in their life. That was the hardest part. I felt a little guilty knowing they weren’t enjoying their holiday as much as they normally would. But at the same time, it shows how strong we are as a family. When one of us is missing, we can’t feel truly happy knowing we aren’t all together.
As much as Christmas wasn’t the same for me this year, I was able to find different areas in the city where a glimmer of holiday spirit was present. We tried to be as festive as we could; we had a secret santa exchange at our school with our team, we had a secret santa at our company Christmas dinner, and Emily and I exchanged a little gift with each other on Christmas day. Our Christmas tree was looking a little sad with only a few gifts under the tree. What can I say, times are tough! The best part about my Christmas this year, was spending my day on the beach. While everyone was at home with all of the snow and freezing rain, I was basking in the sun on the northeast coast of Taiwan. The craziest part of all: I went swimming on Christmas day! The water was a tad chilly, but it’s still pretty cool to say I went in the ocean on December 25. That’s definitely something you don’t see every day! It was awesome to be able to relax on the beach for a few hours. I always find I am more happy when I am by the water; being able to take a dip in the ocean helped me remember I am in an incredible country, doing what I love to do. Sometimes I need to take a step back and enjoy those moments.
So to answer some of your questions I know you’ve been dying to ask: no, my Christmas was not the same by any means, no, I don’t miss the snow, and yes, my Christmas dinner was amazing. The best way to end any Christmas is by stuffing your face with turkey and appreciating a nice home-cooked meal. Thankfully, I was able to find a Christmas dinner, and it was delicious! I ate so much (just like usual), I needed to lie down to feel better. Unfortunately, I didn’t think it was appropriate to take a snooze on the restaurant floor, so I had to wait until I made it back home to sprawl out. Some things will never change.
As much as I missed being home for the holidays, I was able to make some pretty exciting memories here in Taiwan. I will always remember my first Christmas abroad and how I skyped with my family Christmas morning to make it feel like I was still there. Being away really makes you realize how important that family time is over the holidays. Sometimes we need to take a step back to remember our roots and what is really important in life. All I know for sure is that next Christmas I will be home! I don’t know where I’ll be, but there is no way I’m missing another Christmas morning and dinner without grandma’s stuffing!
