Midnight Mass meets Occupy London
I’m celebrating Christmas this year in London with a few friends from undergrad. It’s our first holiday away from home. Working with a student’s budget, we rummaged presents from bargain bins, chipped in to buy a full turkey for roasting, and painted a Christmas tree to paste on the wall. After dinner on Christmas [...]
Not a typical Christmas
‘TIS the season to be jolly……….. Christmas means different things to different people. The answer you get will depend on who you ask. For some, it is the season of giving and caring for those less fortunate than ourselves; for others, it is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. For me, it is about [...]
I like Christmas and other adventures
For years, the Christmas season has been my least favorite time of year. It’s stressful, it’s expensive, and everyone’s craziness comes out to party at family gatherings. Most people don’t feel this way. In fact, most people actually enjoy the holiday season and express their good cheer through festive decorations, good wishes, and “All I [...]
Cold Days, Warm Hearts: Surviving the Holidays in a Long-Distance Relationship
Sleigh bells jingle in the frozen air, their melodies rising over drifts of snow that cover highway and hill. The Christmas tree glows in the living room, Menorah in the dining room, sending soft lights shimmering off window panes, casting an inviting image to the outside world of you and your someone snuggled on the [...]
Merry Christmas and a Car Window
It’s Christmas Eve and my first one with a guest in tow. Marvin is excited to be spending the holiday with my family, yet uncertain about what to expect. But I know all-too-well what comes with a Clapis Family Christmas. Fried dough with brown sugar and cinnamon is already wafting through the rooms of my [...]
The Best Place in the World for Christmas?
All of the guidebooks are right. Medellín, Colombia is hands-down one of the best places in the world to celebrate Christmas. Christmas in another country can spark a bit of homesickness. Not here. One Colombian newspaper writes, “‘Tis the season to be homesick…that is, if Medellín has ever been your home.” I can boldly say [...]
How to Holiday Overseas
Sorry Anglophiles, this post is not about vacationing in a different country, but how to celebrate your cultural traditions while abroad. This year has brought about a lot of changes in my life, and has given me a lot of firsts. This is my first time in Asia, my first time having an apartment, and [...]
