The winter and the holiday times always warm my heart, no matter where I am in the world. Last year – in 2023 – we were busy packing our life into big cardboard boxes, getting ready for our move to Belgium. Everything was either packed or ready to be packed_ lists, duct tape, bubble wrap and cleaning products took over our home.
We didn’t have any time or capacity to make a big Christmas celebration – we only had a tiny plastic tree from a friend and our traditional meals on Christmas Eve. No decoration, no baking cookies, no advent weekend dinner parties. Nothing what said “this is the most wonderful time of the year”.
I felt like we are missing out, since I love Christmas and I love to keep our traditions alive. I put on some festive music to hype myself up for the packing, but of course it did not change the situation. Instead of fairy lights and gingerbread cookies, we had sweatpants and a home that looked like a warehouse.
That did not mean that the holiday spirit was gone. Au contraire mes amis! (On the contrary my friends!)
There was one thing that I absolutely needed to have, no matter what. Advent calendars for us and our dog, Miky. Miky was getting one every year since I adopted him, and he learned pretty fast that there is a treat for him every day. He learned where we keep it and went to point at it with his nose in the evenings to get his snack.
I also got a chocolate one for my partner and one with stickers for myself (it was from a local small business). It was a little treat for us after every long day. A little excitement, that kept me going on the hardest times.
But advent calendars don’t have to be only about excitement. They can be a source of comfort or support or even connection. They can bring traditions into your life or keep you connected to your culture. If you are in similar situation or simply just feeling homesick, these ideas can help you bring a little magic to this season.
Here are 5 non traditional advent calendar ideas to soothe the homesickness on your expat journey:
- 24 short stories from your home country or written in your mother tongue
- 24 pictures of your friends, family and memories from your previous homes and countries
- 4 weekends of traditions
- 4 weekends of taste: bake cookies, make food from your home country every weekend
- a chat a day for 24 days – contact someone from your long distance friends or family
24 short stories from your home country or written in your mother tongue
There is something different about reading in your native language. To reconnect to your culture choose some short stories to read every day until Christmas time. Or pick a novel from your home country and read a few pages every day. If you are a TCK (third culture kid) it could be many different short stories from the countries and cultures you are connected to.
24 pictures of your friends, family and memories from your previous homes and countries
I don’t know about you, but during the holiday season I get more nostalgic and miss my loved ones even more. Take some time and pick out pictures from good seasons of your life, some portraits of your loved ones and put them in envelopes. Number them from 1-24 (you can mix them up so you don’t know which picture is in which envelope) and open one every day leading up to Christmas. Of course you can do this digitally as well, but holding a photo in your hands is just a little different.
Bonus idea: After the holidays you can take some time to be creative and create a collage with the pictures you got. It will be a nice art piece for your home which will keep your loved ones in front of you all the time.
4 weekends of traditions
This might seem self explanatory, but basically bring a tradition to life every advent weekend. If you have a multicultural family like I do, that opens even more possibilities. Baking special Christmas cookies one weekend, secret Santa the other… there are many possibilities. Even if you don’t keep certain customs on Christmas days, you can bring them to life for a little weekend fun. And if you don’t really have any? Create new ones for yourself and your family! One of my favourite is the advent dinner party, when we host our friends for dinner in our home.
4 weekends of taste: bake cookies, make food from your home country every weekend
Speaking of food… why not share your home country’s cuisine with your new local friends? Food and eating is big part of every culture and sharing it with others is a special bonding experience. It doesn’t have to be holiday themed or your granny’s secret recipe – although if that makes you feel closer to your culture, definitely go for it! The point is to create the taste that brings back the home feeling for you.
A chat a day for 24 days – contact someone from your long distance friends or family
What better way to prepare for the holidays than to reconnect with your loved ones? Send a text, a picture or simply call someone you miss each day. You can make rules for you to make it easier: Monday a family member, tuesday a colleague, wednesday a friend… You can also send traditional letters or postcards to mix things up! This will bring you closer to your people and fill your heart with joy.
These ideas are just the start. I am sure you can come up with even more! Which one will you try? Tell me in the comments or share your own ideas for an expat advent calendar!