If you have been following me for a while, you will know that my husband and I have been living the expat life in York, UK for almost 4 years now. One of the challenges we often face about being away from home is shopping across the miles and how to spread that Christmas cheer.
With that in mind, I wanted to share some of my tips on how to maintain the magic of Christmas from afar. Many of us will be separated from our families this year due to the virus that shall not be named. And whether you are distanced by 5 or 5,000 miles from your loved ones, I’m sure some of these ideas will help you create some Christmas cheer this festive season.
Send Personalised Cards
One thing I have been quite religious about doing since living the expat life is to (try and remember to) send personalised Christmas cards and birthday cards to loved ones. After sending my brother-in-law a birthday card in June and him receiving it in December, I no longer bother to buy, write and send cards myself. Instead, I order personalised cards online. Just upload a photo, add a message and a physical card is sent directly to them. It never fails to put a small on my family and friends faces.
Christmas Party Via Zoom
There is no hiding the fact that 2020 has been the year of the Zoom call. Whether it be for work purposes, exercise classes at home or family quizzes. So why not end the year on a high with a Christmas party via zoom with your family and friends. Make some festive food and drinks, dust off the Christmas jumpers and enjoy a party together across the miles.
Buy Gifts Online Locally
I have come to the realization that it is often not worth buying gifts and sending them myself. Yes, it is nice to buy something I have seen and wrapped myself. But postage is often expensive and can be unreliable. Not to mention, if people send gifts to us in the UK, we have often been slugged with import customs fees before the parcel can be delivered (despite it being a gift!)
So why not buy Christmas gifts online from a company that can deliver them locally? This is guaranteed to take all the stress and hassle out of it for you. I have been shopping online for as long as I can remember. Even in the early days when you weren’t sure whether it was legit and if the item would ever actually arrive. These days it is far more reliable and the selection is incredible. So go on, treat your family and friends to something special this year.
Maintain Family Traditions
I recently wrote a blog post about creating family traditions at Christmas, and I think if you already have some established family traditions then it is important to maintain them. Regardless of the miles between you, there can still be a great connection and some wonderful Christmas cheer if you are partaking in the same tradition together. For example, you could watch the same movie at the same time or bake the same family recipes. Put your trees up on the same day and share photos or compare videos of the Christmas lights in your town. Get creative and think outside the box – I’m sure you can think of something memorable to do.
Well, I hope you have found these tips on how to spread Christmas cheer across the miles to be useful. It can be difficult to be apart from family and friends, especially during special occasions. But I like to reflect on the wonderful memories we have shared together in the past and remember just how special those times have been. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Shell x
Disclosure – this is a partnered post with Moonpig and I have been gifted items in return for the article. All opinions are my own.
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