Every month, five expatriates share their overseas life experiences on the Australian site Latch In a column titled “I’m Not From Here”. This month, they explain their tips for celebrating a good holiday when you live far away from your loved ones. Natasha Basika points out“One [ses] One of the favorite experiences of the holiday season as an expatriate was to organize an orphanage Christmas, which brought all the expatriates together at this time of year and allowed everyone to experience it at home, mixing cultures and traditions..

Latch Here are five tips to help you live well during this period:

• Accept the kindness of strangers. That’s what Lindsay Rodriguez, an Australian who spent 12 years in New York, did. She still remembers being picked up by Italian and Irish friends in New Jersey and celebrating Christmas together eating mountains of Chinese food. Another year, according to meetings, she spent a vacation with a Puerto Rican, Russian family, and her generosity touched her.
• Immerse yourself in cultural differences. The music coach, who grew up in Washington, was initially confused when he spent his first Christmas in Australia. But for Christmas and summer at the beach, with a seafood platter, you might as well use it!
• Do not hesitate to get strange and discover new traditions. British journalist Jack Revel tells us how he invented a personal Christmas breakfast, far removed from English traditions!
• Do something that reminds you of home. Ange Lo, an Australian living in London, makes it easy: she watches her favorite Christmas movie and sees it again… at least, it’s accessible wherever she is!
• Travel to a new place. Ange Law chose this option correctly. But instead of exploring the English countryside, she took a vacation to New York.

If you live far away from your loved ones, how do you plan to spend your year-end vacation? What are your best (or most unusual) memories of this period in exile? Write to us at exat@courrierinternational.com and we will publish your testimonial.