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When you go back home for the holidays as an expat, winter feels comforting even before you arrive in your birth town. You know your way around the streets, the air smells familiar and more or less everything seems exactly the same as you left it.
Yet, there is something that doesn’t quite fit in the picture, and this usually is not the place’s fault.
Going Home Feels Familiar Until It Doesn’t
When expats go back to old routines in the same place they grew up, they can noticeably see the contrast between previous life and the habits they have built elsewhere.
If you recognise yourself in this last sentence, then you might not be surprised to hear that this difference becomes more clear during winter trips, as people tend to slow down.
The winter period of the year is the time when expat people have a more reflective mindset towards everything that they accomplished and experienced during the last 12 months. Most importantly, they can see how much they have changed since they moved abroad, even without realizing it, compared to the environment they once called home.
You’ve Changed More Than You Realised
Living abroad gives you a new perspective of thinking that makes you grow up pretty fast, sometimes even without acknowledging it.
Your Daily Habits Feel Different
Lots of simple things feel a bit off and not because something changed drastically around you, but mostly because you shaped your personality through the international experience.
For instance, meal times suddenly differ from what you built as a habit in your new country. Another sensible аspect is your personal space and peace, which could either be disturbed by your relatives, being too invasive, or quite the opposite - very distant.
Shortly, every daily routine that once felt automatic, now requires adjustment.
It even gets to the point where you might feel a little discomfort trying to adapt your new habits to the old space and people. Even though this is only temporary during the winter break, it is still normal that it takes more effort than you expected. This shift is often the very first sign that you’ve already grown quite much.
You See Your Home Country From a New Perspective
Another aspect that you will definitely recognize after a winter trip back home, is how much living abroad changes the way you perceive your home country. You start comparing systems, behaviors and mindsets without even trying to. All those details that you never questioned before suddenly stand out as little factors that disturb your inner peace.
What brings more curiosity is that this whole comparison that happens only in your head and not out loud, comes with less judgment than usual regular thoughts. Instead of taking this discomfort as something bitter to swallow, you effortlessly choose to appreciate the differences you already noticed and to understand that every place has its own logic.
Family Dynamics Feel Familiar, However Slightly Shifted
Usually, all family members of an expat treat them as if they never left, and as much as this is a very comforting experience, expats could also experience some strange sense of guilt.
You’re Both the Same Person and Not
Being the center of attention and love during the winter break could be a really confusing feeling. You sense the love and affection of your relatives that you’re grateful for, however you’re not the previous version of yourself. It is still “you”, but you also became more independent and self-aware than before.
Bringing back your old roles and reappearing in them in front of your closest people happens quickly as a mechanism, yet navigating them feels different now. You tend to set boundaries more naturally even without wanting, but also you respond in a different manner.
All those new little traits show you in subtle but real ways how much you grew up and developed yourself.
The Questions Never Change
Here comes the timeless questions that often feel very heavy for all expats: “When are you coming back?”, “Is it better there?”, “Do you see yourself staying there?”.
In most cases, relatives and family members don’t even realise how much pressure those questions may put on the shoulders of international people. The truth is that, most of the time, they ask themselves the same questions and cannot find the answer.
Before you freak out, this is completely normal for people living abroad. Over time, you just learn to live with it and instead of overreacting or explaining too many details in order to defend yourself, you manage to respond calmly with confidence.
You realize that not every question needs a final answer, and that’s okay.
You Appreciate Home in a New Way
Did you notice how winter has its own way of making everything feel more emotional somehow, even if you have the perfect stress-free trip home?
Small Things Hit Harder in Winter
Little ordinary things like cold walks through the familiar streets of your home town, or quiet and intimate evenings in the cozy atmosphere of your home suddenly feel more meaningful than ever. You don’t just exist there, you appreciate every moment of those simple routines, bringing comfort to your expat soul.
That is how seasonal nostalgia is created, and it gets even stronger after noticing details you once overlooked.
Missing Your Life Abroad
Even though you find joy in the little habits from your previous life, you will certainly still think about your new one abroad.
After a few days during the winter break in their home country, expats very often realise that they actually miss the new reality that they created elsewhere. The feeling of true freedom and independence ends the moment the plane lands in your birth town. You start missing your new friends, daily habits and even the small inconveniences that adulthood brought to you.
In the end, it becomes clear that “home” is no longer just one place. Belonging feels split and instead of perceiving it as something wrong, you should focus on appreciating it as the most honest experience in your life.
The Emotional Reset You Didn’t Know You Needed
It won’t come as a surprise to you that winter trips tend to be more introspective by nature. The slower pace creates space to reflect on yourself and your environment, without pressure or expectations.
To be honest, this emotional clarity cannot be forced and arrives quietly, somewhere between familiar conversations and all moments alone in your childhood room.
How New Year’s Resolutions Change After a Trip Home?
For most of the expats, being home during winter often overlaps with the start of the new year, and that gives New Year’s resolutions a slightly different meaning.
Away from daily routines and usual pressures, the goals you set in your mind feel less about drastic chang e and more about small adjustments. Instead of big promises, you start thinking about balance in your life.
It is not a secret that expats try to stay connected to their closest people back home, while continuing to grow abroad, protecting their time, and being more intentional with the life they’re building.
These resolutions don’t feel urgent or dramatic, but more realistic, shaped by reflection rather than expectations.
What Are You Left With After a Winter Trip Back Home?
If you think about it, you never pack souvenirs when you leave your home to go to your new place. You only take back gratitude for both lives you get to live, and probably, after reflecting on yourself, a clearer sense of who you actually are.
The trip home gives you a deeper understanding that growth always comes with change. It reminds you that it’s possible to move forward without losing where you came from, and that’s a comforting thought to carry into the new year!