Sometimes, ‘home for the holidays’ is just not a possibility. Rationally, it makes sense: it can expensive, traveling during the holidays is the worst, and you avoid all sorts of family drama. But often, no matter how much the trouble, absolutely nothing compares to those homemade cinnamon rolls your father makes on Christmas morning, or watching as your grandpa pretends to be Santa Claus for your baby cousins.
I am the first one to admit that my opinion comes from a bit of a bias: I love Christmas. I’m one of those people who, as soon as it’s socially acceptable, decks out my room with decorations and simultaneously starts playing "Jingle Bell Rock" at full volume. In fact, I love all the holidays. Everything from thanksgiving dinner to children running down the stairs in their pajamas to inspect the Christmas tree, to lighting off fireworks and watching the ball drop as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. There’s something a bit magical about this time of year: people get into a holiday spirit, and the world seems just a little happier.
When I moved to Amsterdam this year for school, I wasn’t thinking about the holidays. In fact, I didn’t even consider it until people began asking me about a month ago what I would be doing to celebrate. At first, I was struck with panic. Would I end up sitting in my room alone on Thanksgiving? Christmas? New Years? I watched as everyone made plans to go home to their family, to take a trip or declared they weren’t celebrating at all. I worried that everyone would be gone and that I would have the worst holiday season ever.
Then I did something that seems incredibly obvious, but for some reason, I hadn’t thought of yet.
I made my own plans.
I held a Friendsgiving dinner (a Thanksgiving dinner with a group of friends) and taught people from a bunch of different countries about what Thanksgiving means and the traditions we participate in. I found a party to wear a ridiculous costume to for Halloween. I learned about the holiday traditions of The Netherlands (Hoorah, Sinterklaas!) and made new memories for myself in the Christmas markets in Germany. I lucked out and happened to have some of my closest friends visiting Europe, and so this year I’m tagging along with their trip and spending Christmas in Paris, which is beyond my wildest dreams.
However, it’s not easy being in a completely different place, missing out on the traditions that you usually hold and seeing the people you may see only once a year around the fireplace. But what I’ve come to realize (Christmas lovers, don’t hate me) Christmas, is just another day. So yes, engage in the celebrations of the season, but know that you can have a wonderful Christmas anywhere you are at; across the nation from your home or across the ocean in a new home.
The best advice I can give is to speak up. As soon as I mentioned that I might not have a place to go to celebrate Christmas and New Years, not only did I have quite a few of my friends offer to take me in with their families, but I had complete strangers offer to set a spot for me at their holiday dinner table. I have been in awe of the generosity people have shown towards me.
A few words to people on the other side of the coin: if you notice a college student/new person to the neighborhood/person with no family around during the holidays, invite them to spend the holidays with you. They might already have plans. They might be one of the lucky few who can afford to get home for the holidays. But I promise you, they will appreciate it. I appreciate it.
So with that, I wish you a
Happy Thanksgiving,
Happy Halloween,
Happy Hanukkah,
Merry Christmas,
Happy Kwanzaa,
and Happy New Year to all, and to all, a good night.
