Not only are we spending Christmas away from the states this year, we're also away from Nepal living out of suitcases. It's got me thinking creatively about how to recreate some traditions (see point 2) and celebrate the season.
Here is some of the ideas we've come across so far:
-No Christmas trees? Go small, artificial or make your own (crepe paper, ribbon, felt, or paper - lots of ideas online)
-Last year our family took a hallmark recordable book and recorded them reading it.
-Crafts! Paper snowflakes, salt dough ornaments, paper chains, advent calendars
-Elf on a shelf is everywhere, at least everywhere on Pinterest, but something that is easy to do where ever you are
-Movies - easy to take and watch anywhere
-Christmas books - there's an app for that when the real thing isn't available
-Matching pajamas (this takes some thinking ahead so there is time to find/order) but certainly identifies you as a family!
-Food - tricky if ovens are not common in your country and with ingredients that may be hard to find; improvise! In bigger cities restaurants or import stores may offer Christmas dinners, just book in advance.
Anyone have other ideas?
Here is some of the ideas we've come across so far:
-No Christmas trees? Go small, artificial or make your own (crepe paper, ribbon, felt, or paper - lots of ideas online)
-Last year our family took a hallmark recordable book and recorded them reading it.
-Crafts! Paper snowflakes, salt dough ornaments, paper chains, advent calendars
-Elf on a shelf is everywhere, at least everywhere on Pinterest, but something that is easy to do where ever you are
-Movies - easy to take and watch anywhere
-Christmas books - there's an app for that when the real thing isn't available
-Matching pajamas (this takes some thinking ahead so there is time to find/order) but certainly identifies you as a family!
-Food - tricky if ovens are not common in your country and with ingredients that may be hard to find; improvise! In bigger cities restaurants or import stores may offer Christmas dinners, just book in advance.
Anyone have other ideas?
We have been using masking tape to make xmas decorations on the wall and doors - christmas trees and stars...but maybe that doesn't really work at a serviced apartment...although you can take it off again. In Denmark each year there is a "Christmas Calendar" (or several on different channels) on TV with an episode each day from 1 december until 24 december (which is when we celebrate with presses on Christmas Eve), and Alma loved watching it last year where two kids had to solve some mysteries about xmas elfs and finding the boy's mother and so on, and of course all comes together on xmas eve and the songs were great:-)....so I bought it on DVD, so we can watch again this year every day of December here in Nepal - but have never heard of something similar in English (but maybe it exists?) Good luck to all of you and look forward to seeing the addition to your family either here on the blog or at Lincoln:-) Happy Holidays, Ingrid (mom of Alma who just started in PS at Lincoln this year:-))
ReplyDelete