How do you celebrate Christmas away from home?

Ireally love the yuletide season! Christmas for me is happily celebrating here at home, which makes me think about how our friends abroad are doing.

Len Nepumuceno, fashion designer, vice president, Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines

I have made a life here in Bangkok with my husband Raha. My kids are living in Bangkok too, so not being in Manila during Christmas is not that hard. We make the most out of Christmas here in Thailand by celebrating with friends that come over to visit during the holidays. My family from Manila comes too and sometimes spends Christmas with us, and we celebrate noche buena together. Bangkok is a predominantly Buddhist country, but Christmas is still celebrated by most. We still attend the Christmas Eve Mass, and have dinner at home with family and friends, and exchange gifts. New Year’s Eve is spent by the beach where we can witness the countdown.

Mark Relova, Results Certified executive and life coach, Nonthaburi Thailand

In Thailand, we are blessed to have a strong spiritual family from Every Nation Bangkok. In our regular life group meetings, we remind ourselves that Jesus is the reason for the season. We also continue our own family traditions like opening gifts on Christmas Day. When the heart is right with God and you are surrounded by people you love during Christmas, you are really never homesick wherever you are.

Jam Morales,

singer

Since I live here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this is home for me and my family. During the holiday season I am always swamped and extremely busy. It is always so hectic that I end up getting sick because of fatigue. I have a voice studio and my students do recording to give as Christmas gifts to family and friends. So I am there and I make sure it gets mixed and finished to be ready before Christmas and then I have my students performing at nursing homes and other city events. And each Christmas we feed the homeless and sponsor kids and gives gifts. I am always on the go. What I miss about Christmas in Manila is going to simbang gabi every morning and eating puto bungbong. I wish the best for everyone this Christmas and may there be peace always.

Jun Ma y o , First Secretary and Consul, Department of Foreign Affairs based in Canada

Spending Christmas out of your homeland gives you reason to miss people close to you — your parents, siblings, your extended family. But somehow, being close to your immediate loved ones and spending it the traditional way you’ve always done provide the space to cushion the feeling of being homesick. I guess I’ve always believed in the saying that “Home is where the heart is.”

Marites Allen, president and CEO, World of Feng Shui Phils.

Christmas is always an occasion for surprises for our family. Until the last minute, we wouldn’t know what my husband or myself might come up with, so the rest of the family members just have to go with the flow! We could be skiing in Austria or Vancouver, staying in due to the wintry London weather, enjoying the sunny weather Down Under, chasing

butandings in Donsol, catching up with my siblings in Masbate, or even attending the annual countdown at the Manila Peninsula Christmas. This year we will be spending Christmas in London and New Year in Manila — or again, there could be last-minute changes.

Edgar Magsajo, industrial

engineer

So far, I already missed four Christmas seasons since I moved here in the U K. I must say that each year, it’s really hard not to miss the most festive season in our country. I guess that still doing those Filipino traditions and activities keeps me afloat during this season. Putting up our Christmas decorations with my kids will be the start, followed by shopping for gifts for our friends and family. Christmas is indeed for sharing. Organizing and attending parties with the Filipino community is also a big help.

Cheryl Cuenca-Madlansakay, housewife

Since the reason for the season is the birth of Christ, I actively participate in our parish simbang

gabi. Here in Metro DC, we host, organize and attend the nine-day novena leading to Christmas. Each evening, Mass is celebrated in a different parish with a Filipino priest. Many of the Christmas carols sang during the Masses are in Filipino. After the Mass, we have a salo-salo with a generous spread of our favorite Filipino food.

Vic Casim, honorary investment and trade representative in London

All those years in New York and in London I yearned for the misa de gallo (the nine days of dawn Masses), bibingka (rice cake) and puto bungbong (glutinous rice). In New York, I attend the Masses at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, and in London instead of the dawn masses I go to the morning Mass and thereafter have a croissant or pan de chocolate. Sometimes I spend Christmas in New York to be with my sister and her family. Christmas dinner is catered Filipino food including a whole lechon. It’s marvelous and wonderful that my New York-born nephews, nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces love Filipino food. It’s like being in Manila, except it is a White Christmas.

Jessica Bunevacz

I don’t have too many Filipino friends where I live, so it’s really hard for me to continue whatever tradition we have and do in the Philippines. In the Philippines we celebrate Christmas at 12 midnight. Here we do it early in the morning of the 25th. What I love is that my mother-inlaw cooks all the Filipino desserts like

bibingka, sticky rice and fruit salad. But of course because we live in LA, everything we use is gluten-free and non-dairy. So basically it does not feel the same but at least I get the taste of bibingka, which I used to eat every Christmas.

Emmanuel Abaya, global chief engineer for Bechtel

I’m actually a poor example of this because for many years, at least 10 years, I traveled so much for work that I’ve stopped putting up a Christmas tree or any decorations. The only thing I do is I have one parol made of capiz shells that I hang in my NY condo and when I see the parol blinking intermittently I know that my condo is a Filipino home. In fact, as I walk around NYC, you can see a few capiz shell parols hanging from various windows and you know a Filipino probably lives there.

Nifleda Huab Wessling, momprenuer

I do my own version of simbang gabi here because, depending on the kind of winter we have, it can still be dark till late morning. And, just like back home, I never complete it! I also attend as many carol services as I can at my sons’ schools and other venues. I tend to prepare more hot food such as stews and soupy dishes, most of which will be Filipino recipes. In fact, just the other day, I prepared and enjoyed a favorite comfort dish — tinola — and despite having to substitute green papaya with potatoes, it was truly delicious and, for a fleeting moment, I was transported back home!