Have Yourself an International Christmas

ARTICLE Emily Reise, The Student Council’s International Officer

It’s time. The days are getting longer, Mariah Carey is defrosting, we’re counting down the days until Colin Firth goes to Portugal and falls in love with his housekeeper Aurelia. You know what time it is - it’s Christmas time! It’s also the time of year when international globetrotters return to their home countries to be with their families and closest friends - the one time of year when everyone is back home, sharing anecdotes about their otherwise distant lives. You meet old friends and wonder whether you’d still be in touch with them if it weren’t for mandatory Christmas get-togethers. You reunite with family members, indulging in their unconditional love as they forgive you for not being in touch more, breaking the promise you made last Christmas.

But this year, you’re stranded in the tumultuous waters of covid outbreaks, the crashing waves preventing you from returning to your home port and making you miss out on old traditions: the endless loops of Christmas music playing in the background, big family breakfasts, walks during the few hours of daylight, three-day cooking benders, secretive last-minute present wrapping - and so it goes, without fail, year in and year out. The procedure is certainly the same every year: child-like anticipation mixed with heavy food, resulting in a continual state of nausea, your elders questioning your lifestyle, whatever it might currently be like. If you’re single, it’s a shame that you are; if you’re seeing someone, you should make use of your young age and play the field; if you’re in school or working, you should relax and live a little; and if you’re living in the moment, you’re being careless. Merely trying to hold your tongue during such conversations takes years off your life, but it is all rewarded when evening comes and the steady flow of alcohol loosens tongues and produces plenty of family gossip - especially when you manage to stay one drink behind and soak up the secrets, collecting them like ammunition you will never use.

But this year, the security of home chaos is replaced by a new, unfamiliar kind of chaos. The whole year has been marked by uncertainty, which can be quite stressful when you’re trying to navigate the uncertainties of life, even without a global pandemic. This can leave you longing for old Christmas traditions, while you try to figure out what to do with yourself over the holidays.

To chime in with the choir of self-help tips the internet has thrown at you ever since the first day of lockdown: you can see this as an opportunity! Dwelling on the absence of old Christmas traditions will only get you down, and falling into an existential pit of despair will not bring back conversation with family over Christmas dinner.

The collective Christmas gift from anyone to everyone is a break. And while it may leave you missing your loved ones, it can make future holiday celebrations even better. You can allow yourself to reminisce about everything you love about Christmas at home, feeling the child-like anticipation build up for your next reunion. Meanwhile, you get to spend time with friends - your chosen family - and create new traditions for yourselves. So treat yourself to some hot cocoa and watch Hugh Grant ugly-dance through Parliament. After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.