The festive season is one many of us associate with joy, connection, and tradition. It’s a season to celebrate with loved ones, share meals, and revisit cherished traditions. For immigrants, however, this time of year can be profoundly bittersweet. While there may be excitement and gratitude for new opportunities and connections, the season also often brings with it feelings of longing, grief, and cultural displacement.
As someone from an immigrant family, I understand these emotions well. The holidays can bring warmth, but they also highlight the physical and emotional distance from family, familiar traditions, and the cultural markers that once defined home. It’s not just about missing people, though that is a large part of it. It’s also about missing the sensory and cultural elements of the holidays, such as the food, music, scents, and rituals that provide us with a deeper sense of belonging. When you live far from your homeland, replicating these experiences can feel incomplete, and their absence can stir a deep sense of loss.
Being far from family during the holidays can make the distance feel even greater. Even with modern technology, it’s hard to replace the comfort of being physically present. Sharing a hug, sitting together at the table, or just simply being in the same room has no digital substitute. This can bring moments of guilt or sadness, especially when family back home gathers without you. While these feelings are difficult, they’re also completely normal and reflect the strength of your connection to those you love.
There’s also the complexity of living between two cultures, which is often intensified during the holidays. Many immigrants find themselves juggling traditions from their homeland while adapting to the customs of their adopted country. This blending of cultures can be enriching, but it can also feel disorienting, like belonging everywhere and nowhere at once. There may even be pressure to conform to the norms of your new home, while at the same time holding tightly to the traditions of your past. This balancing act can leave you feeling stretched thin, as though you're between two different worlds.
Despite these challenges, there are ways to create a meaningful festive season that honours both your roots and your present circumstances. One way to navigate this is by blending traditions to create new ones. Combining elements of your homeland’s celebrations with those of your adopted country can allow you to honour where you’ve come from while embracing where you are now. Cooking a mix of traditional and local dishes, adapting rituals to fit your new surroundings, or even starting something completely new can help make the holidays feel more personal and fulfilling.
Connecting with the community can also be incredibly powerful. If you’re missing the closeness of family, reaching out to others who share your experiences can provide comfort. Many cultural organisations, religious groups, or social circles offer events during the festive period, bringing together people who understand the unique challenges of being far from home. Building new traditions with others in similar positions can help create a sense of belonging and ease the isolation that can come with the season.
It’s also important to allow yourself to feel the full range of your emotions. The grief of missing loved ones and the longing for home are natural parts of the immigrant experience, especially during the holidays. These feelings don’t diminish the gratitude you may feel for your life now, they simply reflect the depth of your connection to where you’ve come from. Taking time to sit with these emotions, whether through journaling, mindfulness, or simply talking to someone you trust, can be a valuable way to honour them.
Even though technology can’t replace physical closeness, it can still play a meaningful role. Organising virtual family gatherings, sharing meals over video calls, or even watching a holiday movie together online can help bridge the distance. Small gestures like sending a gift or handwritten cards can also bring a sense of connection and closeness, even from far away.
While the festive season can bring moments of grief, it’s also a time to reflect on the resilience it takes to live between two worlds. Immigrants often possess a unique strength and adaptability that allows them to create meaning in even the most challenging situations. The holidays offer an opportunity to honour your past while embracing the present and to celebrate your heritage while finding joy in the new traditions you’re building.
If this season feels heavy, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. Many immigrants share these experiences, and there is strength in recognising that your feelings are valid. By balancing the joy and the longing, the new and the familiar, the festive period can become a time of connection and growth, a celebration that reflects the complexity and beauty of your journey.
From my family to yours, may this season bring you moments of warmth, reflection, and connection.
