Expat Living 101.com Blog » Christmas

Living Abroad: An Epiphany

Paul Allen — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:19:35 +0000

One of the great things about living abroad is the exposure it gives to different cultures, the countries’ traditions and their way of thinking.

Festivals and public holidays are a prime example.

For instance, in Spain – and many other Christian places around the world – the major gift-giving ceremonies associated with Christmas do not happen on December 25. Instead, they are reserved for today, the Feast of the Epiphany.

The Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Jesus Christ as the son of God, when the Magi – the wise men from the East – present their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. For this reason, in Spain it is called El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings).

In towns across the country, the evening of January 5 sees the three kings – Melchior, Caspar (or Gaspar) and Balthasar – parade through the streets, the children flanking their route straining to see and touch them. As with Santa Claus, the Magi then deliver presents during the night while the children sleep.

And when they awake the festivities begin!

Relocating Tips: The Advantages of Self Storage

Paul Allen — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:10:19 +0000

It is exactly a year now since we repatriated from Spain to the UK. It was lovely to return in time to have Christmas with family, but looking back I wouldn’t do it the same way again. For rather than enjoying those magical weeks in the run up to Christmas, we had to spend them up to our ears in boxes, sorting and packing belongings.

Having moved several times before, we knew how much work was involved. Still, it’s amazing to discover how much “stuff” we had managed to accumulate, and how long it takes to sort.

The question then is always what do you do with it?

Which are the essential items you absolutely must take with you when relocating? Which bits can be given or thrown away? And the biggest quandary, what do you do with the rest? You know, the stuff you want to keep, or that you think might come in useful “some day.”

Unless a friend or family member is happy to give up their garage or attic indefinitely so you can jam it full of your belongings, the only real solution is to use a self storage facility. They come with several advantages:

1) It’s cost effective

For one, it is inexpensive these days to rent storage space. In addition, there are no long term contracts. That means that as you settle into your new place you have the flexibility to collect your boxes when you are ready for them.

2) It’s safe and secure

Any self storage facility worth its salt will have effective security measures in place to protect your property. Look for 24hr CCTV and individual alarms on the storage rooms.

3) It’s convenient

Self storage has become more and more popular in recent years. As a result, there is probably a self storage facility [1] close by.

Where possible it is best to look for facilities near both your old and new homes. That way you always have the option of keeping any overflow you’re not sure if you want or have space for safe.

4) It’s flexible

Unless you’re relocating to a place where the weather is pretty much the same all year round, you may also want to think about storing all that stuff you only use at certain times of the year – for example, skis or scuba gear. That way you won’t have it cluttering up the house the whole time. And that can do wonders for your state of mind!

[1] For example, Big Yellow Self Storage has over 70 sites across Britain. You can see their facilities and locations at http://www.bigyellow.co.uk/.

Celebrating the Holiday Season Abroad

Paul Allen — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:16:48 +0000

The Holiday Season is well upon us. But if you live abroad you’ll need to get used to a whole different category of celebrations.

Take today, December 6. For many of us it may be another dreary Monday at work. But not everywhere …

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

December 6 is a special festival for children in many European countries, as well as some American cities – for it marks Saint Nicholas Day.

In the Netherlands in particular, Saint Nicholas’ Eve is the equivalent of Christmas Eve, when Sinterklaas (the original Santa Claus) brings gifts for all the good boys and girls. Similarly, in Germany children traditionally put a boot out for St Nicholas to fill with small presents and sweets.

Advent of Democracy

December 6 is a special holiday in Spain too, albeit for different reasons. This is Constitution Day, marking the Spanish public’s vote in 1978 to approve the Constitution of Spain, and thus the country’s formal transition to a democratic state.

As a citizen of the UK, with its long democratic history, it is easy to forget how recent the establishment of such political rights was in Spain. If I was a Spaniard, however, I would have been born in a dictatorship.

In the developed world it is easy to see democracy as a right, one we take for granted. But days like today remind me how blessed we are.

Repatriation Advantages

Paul Allen — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:34:13 +0000

A recent holiday in Spain – the first trip back to our house on the northern Costa Brava since repatriating to the UK last Christmas – reminded me of all the good things about our former life in the sun.

And the drive home from the airport after we landed back in the UK, with the rain greasing the congested motorway, showed the stark contrast with the world we had left behind.

Since our return friends and work colleagues have been asking the same question: do we regret moving back to England?

Of course, we miss some of the lifestyle benefits Spain offers. After all, the UK is by no means perfect. Nevertheless, on balance we are happy we repatriated.

So what are the good things about living back in the UK? For me, the key ones are:

Social Network

The number one advantage is being back among family and old friends, renewing those old, precious relationships.

Familiar Culture

There is an ease to living in a place where you understand the societal attitudes, the sense of humour, and how the systems involved in day-to-day life work. Being able to think and speak in your native tongue once again is nice too.

Britain’s Beauty

We have now been through all the seasons, and while the UK’s weather may not be wonderful (I’m writing this with the rain lashing outside), each reveals some special aspect of the country’s beauty.

In the months since our return we have also taken the chance to explore more of the country, and see the charm that attracts so many foreign visitors: the wonders of London, the nation’s majestic stately homes, its quaint villages and verdant countryside.

It is not always easy to see how great Great Britain is when you are brought up with it and long to escape. Instead, sometimes you have to leave to come back again.

As Irish novelist George Moore said: “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.”

That is just how I am feeling … at least for the moment!

Ryder Cup Showcases Life in Britain

Paul Allen — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:03:45 +0000

After a nail-biting finale, the European team just pipped the USA to the post at this year’s Ryder Cup. The tournament is golf’s showcase international event, and its prestige was served well by some remarkable performances on both sides.

Unfortunately, it was the atrocious conditions that dominated the early stages of the competition though, with long rain delays that forced play into overtime on Monday … when, sod’s law, the weather made a volte-face and bathed the country in glorious sunshine.

Well, what can you expect from Wales in October?

In truth, Britain in autumn can be a challenging place to live. Hurricanes, like the famous one of October 1987, might be blue moon events. Wind and rain, however, are guaranteed. Add in the fading daylight as the days shorten and it starts to sound a bit bleak. No wonder so many millions of Brits dream of escaping to a life in the sun.

Mind you, in New York, where I spent a year at the turn of the millennium, the descent from the broiling heat of summer to freezing winter is even more precipitous.

By contrast, in the corner of north-eastern Spain where I lived until recently, the thermometer frequently nudged 30°C through to the end of October. Calm, sunny days meant there were a lot of leaves on the trees right up to Christmas, and oftentimes we could still venture out in T-shirts.

But now we’re back, experiencing our first autumn in the UK in eight years. I confess, weather-wise it is nowhere near as appealing as where we have come from.

The upside is the warmth we enjoy from being back among family and old friends.

Catalan Christmas

Paul Allen — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:31:52 +0000

We went shopping in the local mall over the weekend, trying to sort some final presents before Christmas creeps up on us. The decorations have been up everywhere for a good month already in our corner of Spain, the trees decorated, baubles glinting in the fairy lights, tinsel sparkling, Santa Claus figures dangling from the ceilings. It’s almost like being in the States, or back in the UK.

Yet Catalunya has its idiosyncratic traditions too. One – less common in Barcelona but found across the rest of the region, especially in rural areas – is tió de Nadal (the Christmas log).

They can be bought in various sizes, but essentially it is a hollow tree log, commonly raised on one end by short stick legs, and with a painted face and stuck-on nose on the front (I know, but bear with me on this). The tió is ‘fed’ every night in the run up to Christmas, and then on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, depending on your preference, it is beaten with a stick to a special accompanying song and ordered to poo out its treats of sweets or nuts and the like.

It may sound somewhat bizarre, but is – or so I am told by the teachers at my daughter’s school – magical for the children.

Meanwhile, across Spain the big present-giving celebration is not December 25 as in North America and some other parts of Europe, but Epiphany (January 6). For this is the day when the Three Kings (los Reyes) came to see Jesus in the stable, bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Nevertheless, Santa Claus and Christmas Day gifts are slowly encroaching into the Spanish calendar – the power, I guess, of Disney and Coca Cola!

Immaculate Conception

Paul Allen — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:46:42 +0000

It’s a fiesta today here in Spain, the feast of the Immaculate Conception (Día de la Inmaculada Concepción). It’s a Roman Catholic holy day, which marks the conception of the Virgin Mary, a point from which she started and remained throughout her life free of the Original Sin that stains the rest of us. Or so the Catholic doctrine says.

Having been brought up in England in a Protestant household – albeit with a Roman Catholic father (although that is another topic in itself) – it’s not a holiday I was familiar with until moving to Spain. But then so much of Roman Catholic theology and practice remains something of a mystery to me, despite it’s communality with the UK’s ‘national’ religion. Which I suppose is what makes living in Spain – or for that matter any other country – so interesting.

And I have to say, I quite like the idea of squeezing another public holiday in before Christmas too …