For many of us, Christmas is the time we take to reconnect with our loved ones. But not everyone has the privilege of living in the same country with their extended family.
People from different diasporas often use the Christmas period to go home to spend the holidays with friends and family oversees. However, for the last two years the pandemic has forced families to spend the holidays in the UK.
When the lockdown slowly began lifting last year, countries like South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia were put on the red list in the clumsy traffic light system, meaning people weren’t able to travel during the December.
So, many people hoped that 2022 would be the year they would be reunited. But with work commitments and pricey flights during a cost of living crisis, that hasn’t been made possible for many.
Nicola, who is a 29-year year old nurse from Hampshire, says prior to the pandemic she used to go back to Ghana every two years at least.
“The last time I went back for Christmas was about five years ago. I’m not going back this year because I’m a nurse and have to work over this period as annual leave is not allowed,” she tells HuffPost UK.
Nicola, who chose not to share her last name, says she’ll miss seeing her extended family that don’t live in the UK, as well as the weather, and “the freedom that you just don’t quite get in the UK”.
She won’t be waking up to the sun in Ghana, but she still intends on enjoying the day. “In the morning with immediate family, once presents are opened we tend to have prosecco and a small English breakfast,” she says.
“We’ll then have a traditional ‘English roast’ since my grandma passed, my mum took over the baton of doing the turkey. Different aunties will cook lamb, sometimes beef and salmon.
“There will also be a few Ghanaian dishes sprinkled like Jollof, salad which my mum has coined as ‘Ghana salad’ and chicken.”
Risata Kufuor, a 26-year-old junior doctor based in the West Midlands, is also in a similar position. She was hoping to go back to Ghana for Christmas but her job requires six weeks notice for leave.
“Things are difficult to plan considering we change rotations/specialties every four months, meaning technically we have a new employer and rota coordinator every couple of months,” she explains.
“I just started this rotation in December. You will be lucky if your rota for your next job is sent to you six weeks ahead of time, and even if it is, good luck getting rota coordinators for your next job to approve a leave request for a rotation you haven’t yet started.”
Additionally, she saw how expensive return flights to Ghana were and realised it wasn’t worth it if she would only be able to go to Ghana for a week.
She’ll miss the vibrant and joyous atmosphere as well as the back to back events in Ghana during December. She’s also lamenting the loss of in-person family time.
“Instead I’ll be meeting extended family in the UK. We never see each other unless it’s Christmas or in true Ghanaian style, at a funeral,” Kufuor says.
“I believe it will be the usual British-African cuisine with the traditional Christmas Dinner with sides of Ghanaian jollof, waakye, fried plantain, washed down with Supermalt. With Ghanaian gospel playing in the background of course.
“I know I will also have to speak to countless family members over the phone, most of whom I don’t remember nor have spoken to in at least a year.”
If work permits, she plans to go next year to celebrate Christmas with her Ghanaian grandparents again.
Viva Andrada O’Flynn, a 40-year-old entrepreneur of Love Viva Cakes and Crafts, is originally from the Philippines, but she’ll be spending Christmas in her Gloucestershire home because flights are jam packed and expensive.
“In the Philippines we have a big family. My Mom has five brothers and four sisters,” she says. “On Christmas Eve, we would attend mass. Then we would gather in a residence of a family member. We used our home on several occasions for parties, including Christmas Eve.”
She’ll miss the rituals of seeing family members in person come Christmas day. “We would greet one another with a hug and kiss on the cheek, handshakes, or as a sign of respect towards the elderly in Filipino tradition ‘mano po,’ wherein we take the back of an elderly’s hand and put it on our forehead,” she explains.
“Together we’d eat ‘Noche Buena’ (a Spanish term which means ‘good night’ but to us, it means Christmas Feast) share stories, and exchange gifts.
“I’ll miss the company of my family and friends, seeing them and hearing their voices in person, hugging them.”
Cristina Ilao, who is a 38-year-old destination wedding photographer from Cambridgeshire, is also from the Philippines. “Christmas is the biggest and happiest holiday in the Philippines,” Ilao says.
“Christmas decorations can be seen on houses and in stores from September and they’ll only be taken down in January. We hang a Parol (traditional start-shaped Christmas lantern) on windows or outside the house to symbolise the triumph of light over darkness and to represent the star of Bethlehem. In December you’ll see lots of kids knocking on doors and singing Christmas carols.”
Ilao believes Christmas is all about family and togetherness. “It’s the most popular time for Filipinos who work overseas to come home and see their loved ones. It’s not surprising to be invited to extended family events, school reunions, and weddings,” she says.
“There’s a stark difference between Christmas in the UK and Christmas back home. It’s a lot quieter here and I don’t know a lot of people who celebrate with extended families,” Ilao adds. “I’ll definitely miss being with family and sharing the Noche Buena with them.”
She’ll be incorporating Filipino food into her Christmas in the UK to make her feel like she’s back home. “Filipinos love food and I’m proof of that. I’ll be preparing some traditional Filipino food like Chicken Inasal (Filipino-style grilled chicken), Lechon Kawali (crispy fried pork belly), and Embutido (Filipino-style meatloaf) for Christmas eve.”
Waiki Harnais, who is a 37-year old medical secretary from London, hasn’t spent Christmas in the Democratic Republic of Congo where she’s from but hopes to one day.
“I always celebrate Christmas in the UK. We usually have a family gathering, with my siblings and my parents. We take it in turns to host Christmas, but everyone usually brings dishes and we have a huge Christmas meal,” Harnais says.
“To incorporate traditions from back home, we always try to include Congolese dishes in our Christmas menu whenever we celebrate with my extended family. My mum and my sister usually cook those dishes as I’m not the best person to cook Congolese food!”
Harnais says there “aren’t really any typical Congolese traditions at Christmas”, which makes food all the more central to connecting with her culture.
“I would love to experience Christmas back home. I’ve seen photos and videos of what it’s like – I still have family who live there and share their experience with us,” Harnais says.
“There’s always so much food and the atmosphere is just different. The weather is also a lot warmer than here so it would be nice to experience Christmas in the sun for a change.”