Christmas: a special time of the year for most, full of time with family and friends, hot chocolate, and celebrating traditions either silly, solemn, or strange. But instead of going a few states over or taking a short flight to the other side of the country, Hillsdale’s foreign students have more to manage.
Their homes are a lot farther away, and sometimes the journey back home isn’t possible for our relatively short holiday recess. For those who can make the trip back, it’s a sizeable investment of time and money for the plane trip.
Junior Yilin Zhang, originally from China, has to travel roughly 13 hours by plane, not including travel time to and from airports.
Junior Helge Bjerk, a Norwegian native, travels about eight to nine hours by plane, but the entire trip home is 20 to 30 hours of travel.
Junior Sarah Ndungu of Kenya has 18 to 20 hours of flight, not including layovers or travel via car and bus.
While religion, presents, family, and food are components in Christmas all over the world, the balance is different in each place you look.
“Christmas is a Christian holiday — it’s about Jesus,” Ndungu said. “Christmas is affected by the religious temperament of countries that celebrate it around the world. Kenya is a Christian state, and so we celebrate that a lot like in America.”
In China, however, Christmas isn’t celebrated for its religious value, Zhang said.
“Christmas is even more commercialized in China. People focus on the sales and buying things, not so much its religious origins, and just shop for the sake of shopping. It’s celebrated like Valentine’s Day in the western world.”
In addition, the social and economic state of the country significantly impact gift-giving traditions.
According to Bjerck, Christmas in Norway is more centered on Christmas Eve, when the majority of gifts are exchanged.
Ndungu said gift-giving is downplayed in Kenya.
“Christmas is not about the presents because most families can’t afford lots of presents, but it’s more about feasting and spending time with family,” she said.
Most students interviewed were able to make the trip home for the break, and were excited to spend this special time of year with their loved ones.
“Christmas is all about family time,” Ndungu said. “People visit their extended family, and things like family reunions happen. My mom, older sister, and I visit extended family. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to go home to Kenya every year.”
Bjerck said that Norway takes a slightly different approach.
“I’ve gone home to my family in Norway every year. We do a lot of eating. Christmas day itself focuses more on the food.”
Zhang said she has noticed that America also has a food culture.
“Something I noticed about my American host families is that they all have different family traditions that involve food. So much food,” she said.
Out of the interviewed students, Zhang was the only one who hadn’t been able to go home every year, and instead spent two of the last three Christmases in the U.S.
“There are so many gifts,” Zhang said of her experience of Christmas with an American host family. “It feels like family members are really emotional and so excited to know what you like for Christmas. It was such a culture shock because people aren’t that straightforward in China.”
Zhang went home for break for the first time this year. She spent the two previous years with a host family in Kentucky, and she spent last year with that family’s extended family in Florida.
“I felt very welcomed even though I wasn’t among my own family,” she said. “After being with the host family for almost a month, it was a little like having a second family.”
Other festivals and celebrations can take precedence in countries where Christmas is less important.
“[In China], the Spring Festival, commonly known as the Chinese New Year, is close to Christmas and much more important. It’s a time for family, and most people try to go home. It’s the end of the lunar calendar year, and there is national paid time off. It’s at the end of January and beginning of February,” Zhang said.
In Norway, Santa Claus is replaced by the Christmas Gnome. On Dec. 23, “Little Christmas Eve,” Norwegian families eat porridge, and leave out a bowl for the Christmas Gnome, Bjerck said.
Christmas there lasts longer, stretching into January.
“Christmas in America was kind of like this before Coca-Cola made Santa Claus popular.”
