As a recent expat from the United States now living in the UK, I must admit I was not prepared for how the holidays would hit my heart. There is so much excitement in London. Christmas scenes I have never experienced and we are truly enjoying the sights and sounds of fully living out the lyrics to Silver Bells however that song is also my Christmas song with my Mom and that feeling of joy is quickly replaced with longing for a hug from her and our loved ones. 

This post is not intended to be sad, quite the opposite actually. We have dug deep to find our own happiness in the midst of the obvious fact that we are not home. Rather than look at it that way, we are focusing on making new traditions. This coupled with the help of Zoom calls and FaceTime we can still "be together" with family and even include them in on a few of our London Christmas adventures. I took my Mom for a virtual shopping trip down Oxford Street! Now if I can only figure out how to have her pay virtually...

For our 3 soon to be 4 year old son he was quite concerned that Santa (or as we embrace his new name, Father Christmas) would not know where he lived because we have moved houses a few times this year but when we went to pay him a visit in our new village, Santa reassured him he always knows where to find him and our boy finally believed that he would come (he did not trust his Dad or I). 

To package this holiday post with a happy bow, the point I am trying to make, is to remind yourself that if you are away from family because of miles that separate you or perhaps you are missing a loved one that is no longer here... it is OK to miss them. Embrace that feeling, wrap yourself in the emotional warmth of their memories and past traditions. Carry them with you as you make new traditions and at the very least remember, soon it will be January and we can go back to complaining about the freezing temperatures.    

Happy Holiday's to Everyone near and far!