With Christmas around the corner, the little elves must be on their toes, packing lovely gifts, and Santa, with his eight reindeer, must be ready to spread the festive cheer!
Sounds too dreamy? Well, this is what we read in the storybooks and witness in the delightful Christmas movies. That said, is it truly enjoyable for international students studying abroad during the Christmas holidays?
Maybe not! For some international students, Christmas time can feel lonely, and they end up feeling homesick. Moreover, going back home is not a feasible idea for most international students, due to inflated airline ticket prices. But, this doesn’t mean Christmas needs to be boring or lonely for you in a foreign country. With a little effort and smart planning in advance, the upcoming Christmas can turn out to be the best Christmas for you!
So, dive straight into this delightful blog by MSM Unify to discover ten fun ways to celebrate Christmas while studying abroad and create beautiful memories.
1. Cook up a storm
Christmas festivities are incomplete without delicious food! So, to make the most of your Christmas holidays, cook up a storm! You may try cooking or baking classic Christmas foods, including plum cake, gingerbread man, cookies, turkey, scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and much more!
Or, if Christmas is making you homesick, you may cook your favorite food you relished back home. After all, there’s no rule for celebrating Christmas. Cook and eat what’ll make you happy.
2. Participate in the university or community events
The first rule for celebrating Christmas is don’t be lonely! Maybe, you don’t understand the local traditions or culture, but take this as an opportunity to experience new things that you wouldn’t have otherwise back home.
Foreign universities are renowned for their lively and sociable atmosphere, especially during the holiday season. So, step out of your comfort zone and participate actively in university or community events.
3. Celebrate with a family
If you are living with a local family, the best way is to celebrate Christmas with the host family. Your active participation in the festivities will help you immerse in a new culture and keep loneliness at bay. Furthermore, your involvement in festivities would help you develop long-term relationships with the host family.
You may help them in the kitchen or with Christmas decorations and share your unique inputs to make the occasion even more special.
4. Celebrate with your friends
Plan to celebrate the upcoming Christmas Eve with friends from your own country as well as your local friends. Try to involve as many people as possible to maximize the festive spirit.
Decorate a Christmas tree with your friends, deck out your residence, go shopping together, indulge in traditional Christmas delicacies, play fun games, and have a merry time!
5. Secret Santa
This is one of the best ways to pep up the festive vibe and ensure nobody in your group of friends is left without a gift. So, propose this idea of playing a Secret Santa to your friends and decide on a budget.
To play Secret Santa, write every participant’s name on paper chits and mix them together.
Have each participant randomly select a chit to become someone’s Secret Santa. On Christmas Eve, you all can open the presents and guess who your Secret Santa is.
6. Movie night
If you are an introverted kind of person or don’t like it too noisy, having a movie night with your friends is one of the cozy ways to celebrate Christmas in a foreign land. This idea will take the least effort to implement unless you all know what movie you want to watch together.
Create a cozy ambiance in your room, decorate it a bit, order pizza and coke, get some popcorn ready, and enjoy a wonderful Christmas movie night.
7. Throw your own Christmas party
If you haven’t been invited to a Christmas party yet, never mind! Host your own Christmas party and plan it the way you want. You may host it at your place or take your friends to some fun event or a restaurant.
You may invite your local friends and take their ideas to celebrate Christmas in a traditional way. Also, since this is your party, you are free to add your unique traditional flavor to the festivities. Everyone involved will surely love the amalgamation of varied ideas.
8. Shelter home
This Christmas, you can count your blessings and help needy people, who do not have a proper place to live and food to eat. These are the people who can’t even dream of celebrating and indulging in gifts!
By implementing this Christmas idea, you can fend off loneliness, spread festive cheer, and get priceless gifts in return- their blessings! Moreover, you don’t have to splurge to implement this idea. You can enliven their Christmas by buying them a hot meal and some warm clothes, it’s that simple.
9. Go on a vacation
If you want to do something unusual this Christmas, pack your bags and head to an exotic location in the country. You may choose a place that is famed for its Christmas markets, beautiful decorations, or other special events.
By choosing a location in the same country, you can save money on traveling, stave off loneliness, and immerse yourself in unique experiences that you will cherish for years to come.
10. Connect with your friends and family back home
If none of the ideas mentioned in the above sections seem to be working for you, here’s an idea you can work out easily without spending a dime!
It’s okay if you don’t wish to step out and mingle with people, and it’s okay if you want to save money and avoid traveling. You may simply connect with your friends and family back home.
You may also decorate your space, and enjoy dinner together virtually.
You may also host a watch party for your friends and enjoy a nice Christmas movie together by snacking on some popcorn, chips, or anything that you like.
All the aforementioned ideas are easy to implement and can help brighten up your spirits this Christmas. We at MSM Unify believe in supporting students before as well as during their study abroad journey. If you have any questions or concerns about overseas education, feel free to contact our expert counselors. Good luck and Merry Christmas in advance; the countdown begins!
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