Having grown up abroad, Christmas was filled with unexpected, but welcomed, twists and turns. For a good chunk of my formative years, I was lucky enough to experience various forms of “Christmases” in different Asian countries.
The diverse cultures shaped my family’s understanding of Christmas and shifted the way we do things – most notably, we don’t celebrate Christmas but rather Christmas Eve. Which, admittedly, the strangeness of this tradition only came to light a few days ago… But, the magic of Christmas stopped being about waking up to find gifts under the tree or the loud, crowded family parties; instead, it was about the quiet walk to a restaurant, the loud chatter of locals and the surprise fireworks lighting up the sky.
So, in a sense, being cooped up at home with only my immediate family felt like a strange variant of a lost tradition.
My Take: By Marianne Lasonde
