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Is this your first Christmas away from home? Then you are at the right place!
This article will show how spending the winter holidays as a foreigner in a new country may provoke some culture shocks for you.
But nothing to worry about! The same ones that seemed confusing and weird in the beginning, are going to make you laugh from the bottom of your heart when remembering them afterwards!
Christmas Abroad: When Nothing is Quite What You Expected
Initially, the thought of spending Christmas abroad for the first time brings excitement and joy: it’s a new city with completely new people, traditions and new memories to be created. However, this is where the slight sense of confusion sets in. The things you always thought were “just how Christmas is” suddenly appear to be quite specific for your own culture and origin.
From the dishes served on the Christmas table to when the celebrations actually happen, spending holidays abroad can teach you quickly how much traditions and cultures could vary in a non-universal manner. This feeling may seem pretty strange at first, but you don’t have to panic. The moment food and gifts enter the chat, culture shock becomes less stressful and much funnier!
Christmas Food That Feels Completely Wrong…at First
Speaking of confusion and culture shocks, they start the moment you sit down at the table and the realisation starts to kick in.
“Where is the Food I Grew Up With?”
Imagine this: you and your closest people abroad are all gathered around the table and you notice that there is something missing. That one dish you’ve been waiting for the whole year is just not there.
Then you start to recognize the differences on a cultural level between your origin country and your new home abroad. Instead of your comfort food that you grew up with, new flavors and meals are introduced. And nobody is saying that they are worse. However, they could never compare to the ones you have known all your life.
This is when it becomes clear that Christmas food is more than a few typical dishes. The emotional food traditions are really tied up to all memories with family and friends that we had back home and replacing them may feel oddly personal and offensive.
When Christmas Meals Break All the Rules
However, the cherry on the top of the cake, when it comes to Christmas dishes, is the way different cultures have diverse preferences for the type of food they are going to serve on the holy table and the timing. For instance, some prefer seafood instead of meat dishes, others do their big celebration at lunch time instead at night for dinner gatherings. Some nations have their table full of desserts, so much you cannot even count them, but others have none at all.
All this may seem shocking for you if those details do not match with your origin traditions. But let’s be honest. You might be slightly offended or angry when you realise this cultural shock, but at the end, everything fades into a funny memory of your first Christmas abroad.
The Timing Shock: Celebrating on the “Wrong” Day
Another factor that may cause confusion or shock when it comes to winter holidays’ celebrations is when is actually the appropriate time to do it. The cultures around Europe and the rest of the world have diverse ways of celebrating and here are some of the biggest misunderstandings when it comes to the timing.
Christmas Eve vs. Christmas Day Confusion
I highly doubt that most of you have thought about this before, but did you know that Christmas doesn’t happen on the same day everywhere? This might still remain one of the biggest surprises when discovering new traditions. Some countries celebrate it on Christmas Eve (the 24th of December), others on Christmas Day (the 25th of December), and some manage somehow to extend it throughout both of the days.
Besides, you as a foreigner might not acknowledge the fact that what’s a public holiday in your home town, is a normal workday in another. It is true that it might be an unpleasant surprise and cause weird feelings in you, however this is how things work when you are an expat.
Consequently, you might feel late to the celebration, or quite the opposite - strangely early. At the end, there is a chance that you are left confused and wondering if you somehow missed the main event.
New Year’s Takes Center Stage
In some countries, Christmas celebrations are not the center of attention and people rather spend them in silence. Meanwhile, they are the ones who put New Year’s Eve under the lights and give it the best parties. This is the night for them when big dinners with a large variety of food choices, long nights and major celebrations happen. If you’re not familiar with this kind of event, then this difference might shift your expectations completely in a funny way!
At first, if your major celebration used to be on Christmas, this type of New Year’s Eve will feel disappointing for you. However, there are many examples where expats adjust to the slow paced Christmas celebration, having in mind that there will still be a big party at the end of the year.
Gift-Giving Rules No One Warned You About
Exchanging gifts over the winter holidays is just another topic that can cause big confusions and even embarrassment, if you’re new to the local traditions.
When Gifts Are Smaller or Bigger Than Expected
Gift-giving during Christmas and New Year’s can feel like a social experiment for you as a foreigner. Some cultures are focusing on small, but very meaningful presents, while others are ready to go all the way out.
As presumed, this very often leads to awkward situations. Imagine that you open a slightly modest gift after giving a very big one, or the other way around. It could be embarrassing for both sides, but eventually most people end up with the conclusion that the gesture of having a present for somebody in mind is kind enough and that meaning matters the most.
Gift Traditions That Feel Surprisingly Strict
Another weird feeling that you might experience when it comes to giving presents is that some nations have very strict rules that you are expected to know, but no one talks about it in advance.
For some, gift-opening should be done all together around the Christmas tree, whereas for others this tradition requires personal space for each member of the celebration to unbox the present alone.
For some people it is pretty normal to go extra with the gift-giving for all the kids participating in the event, however for cultures that are not familiar with details, this seems unnecessary. Also, in many countries in Europe, the famous “Secret Santa” tradition is taken very seriously by all involved, but this is not the case everywhere.
In the beginning this feels strange for you as an expat spending your first Christmas abroad, as you’re adapting to the new ways of celebration. However, at one certain point you start to blend in and everything becomes normal faster than expected, adding a fun emotion to the holiday.
Celebrations That Feel Very Different
After going through all the little factors that could potentially make your Christmas awkward and funny at the same time, let’s talk about the celebration itself.
Quiet Christmas vs. Big Family Chaos
If in your home country you do full-scale family celebrations with noise, food and endless conversations and questions from your relatives, then you might be left surprised when realising that not all countries are like this. Some perceive the Christmas event as time for rest, recharging with quiet meals and early nights.
It is actually very ironic how many expats living abroad find themselves missing the pure chaos of their families from which they once complained. If this is your case, then it is absolutely normal that you feel the silence around the event a little too peaceful.
The Moment It Becomes Funny, Not Strange
After reading all those little factors that might make you feel Christmas abroad weirder than ever, you need to know that at some point, the confusion fades away. Instead of comparing everything to “back home”, you start enjoying traditions as they are. All awkward moments that you experienced during your first celebration turn into funny stories that you can tell your family and friends and laugh together.
That’s when Christmas abroad stops being strange and starts becoming meaningful!
Why These Culture Shocks Become The Best Memories?
At the end, all expats that went through those little confusions realise that actually the mismatch between different traditions and cultures is what brings people closer. There are endless Christmas traditions that you didn’t know existed across Europe and it is beautiful how people started to bend them together and add a little piece of their own culture. Laughing together at such misunderstandings replaces the initial frustration that both sides might feel. This is how small cultural shocks become bonding moments that you will remember forever.
Christmas abroad may never look and feel exactly like it does back at your home country, but that’s exactly what makes it unforgettable!