12 days of Christmas day 1: Tips for having Christmas abroad

"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...a partridge in a pear tree"  This post is the start of my 12 Days Of Christmas series. This will be alternating between my blog and youtube channel and is going to take us all the way up to the big day!  This Christmas is my second living abroad. Last Christmas felt very strange and I was actually pleased when it was all over. This year I am feeling way more festive and I'm definitely going full festive cheer! I thought I would share some tips on how to have the best Christmas away from home.  1. Affordable Christmas decorations:  When you're travelling, the last thing you want to do is spend money you don't have on lots of fancy Christmas decorations but I do like to add a little bit of Christmas spirit in to my surroundings. This year I raded K Mart's Christmas section and found a few items to brighten my room on the cheap. A Christmas tree ornament, fairy lights and a festive candle and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  2. Embrace the changes:  I learnt last year that trying to recreate you're usual Christmas doesn't work and you can end up feeling a little down about the whole thing. I think the best thing to do is really experience Christmas the way the country your visiting does. This way you don't feel like your missing out an anything and you get a whole new experience. 3. Avoid Christmas specials: This doesn't necessarily apply to everyone but I remember feeling really sad last year while watching very British Christmas specials such as the Vicar of Dibley and Downton Abbey. I think I will be giving them a go again this year as I'm feeling much more settled in general but I would give them a miss if your feeling a little bit home sick.  4. Be with friends: This speaks for itself. Surround yourself with people you care about. No one wants to be alone on Christmas. If you happen to be in a new place where you don't know any people yet then what a perfect day to get mingling. Tis the season and I'm sure you will find a group of people happy to share the festivities with you. 5. Keep in touch with home (sort of):  We all want our loved ones to know we're thinking about them over Christmas and vice versa but when that turns in to 6 separate Skype chats mixed with a 13 hour time difference you can pretty much say good bye to Christmas day. I would recommend splitting them up over a few days so you can still chat with everyone without it being such a military operation. They all have plans for Christmas day too so it works out better for every body. You can send any cards and gifts you have well in advance so they still get a little something from you on Christmas day any way.  So there we have it. This may not be relevant to every one but I hope it can help some of you out. Make sure to keep following my 12 days of Christmas. I have lots of exciting things coming your way so make sure to follow along. See you over on my youtube channel tomorrow for day 2.