Great Tips to Celebrate Christmas Day Away from Home

I've celebrated Christmas away from home for at least the last 18 years. In fact, I think in the last 18 years, I've only been home once to my parents' house for Christmas. It's not that I don't like to spend Christmas with parents, I do. It's more the fact of distance and convenience. When I lived in the US, my parents lived in North Carolina and I lived in California. With only three days Christmas holiday from work, it just wasn't enough time to fly there and back and spend any quality time with my parents. Now, I live in Thailand, so it's even further to travel home for Christmas. I am however an expert on how to celebrate Christmas away from home. So, if you are celebrating Christmas away from home, here are some great tips to follow so you'll still enjoy it.

1. Make Sure You Surround Yourself With Friends. Spending Christmas alone and without family can be incredibly depressing. My worst Christmas ever was spent completely alone in Dallas, Texas. I went to see a movie, treated myself to some new books and bought some nice food but, even doing that didn't lift my depression. Every other year since, I have always made sure I have surrounded myself with friends over Christmas. In Los Angeles, a lot of people don't go home for Christmas. So, when I lived there, a group of us used to get together and either cook Christmas dinner or go to see a movie together and then to a nice restaurant for Christmas dinner. Don't spend Christmas alone if at all possible. It's depressing and sad and will make you feel even worse than you should.

2.Don't Put All Your Hopes on Christmas. Honestly, Christmas is just another day of the year. Too many people spend too long worrying about celebrating Christmas alone and feel like a loser if they have to. It's just another day and, surprisingly, a lot of people spend it alone. Don't forget, in much of the rest of the world, they don't even celebrate Christmas. So, you're really just one of billions who isn't making such a big deal about celebrating Christmas.