Hippopotamus for Thanksgiving in Lyon, France

Do you have a favorite holiday? How about a favorite season? My favorite holiday is most definitely Christmas. If I’m being completely honest, though, I have a season of contentment that begins as the summer heat gives way to cool autumn evenings and extends through New Year’s. There’s something about the comfort that comes from the routine and traditions that our family enjoys in the fall and winter that make those months my favorite.

It may seem odd that I’m writing about fall and winter holidays when the August heat is still scorching, but fall is just around the corner. Kids are already heading back to school and, before we know it, fall will be upon us. When we scheduled our 3 month trip to France for the fall, I was excited to spend my favorite time of year in such beautiful places, but I was also wondering if I would miss the comforts of home during my season of contentment.

What Makes This Time of Year So Special?

Perhaps it’s the decorations that we bring out to make our home feel cozy as the temperatures begin to drop. It could be the familiar sounds of our favorite football teams on TV. It definitely has a lot to do with the smells and flavors. What’s better than chili simmering in the crockpot and cornbread muffins baking in the oven? Don’t even get me started on pumpkin desserts and the smell of cinnamon and cloves. I love the many trips to the farmer’s market to pick out apples and pumpkins. Then, there’s something about the smell of pine as fall blends into the Christmas season.

I grew up in Indiana where fall started with the school year in September. Since moving to the Raleigh area in North Carolina over a decade ago, it’s torture waiting for the weather to allow me to switch from shorts and tees to jeans and flannels. I mean, a pumpkin on the porch doesn’t really feel right when it’s still 85 degrees outside!

I think I always thought that this time of year would be less special as I got older, but I’ve found the opposite to be true. When my kids came along, I just shared my love for the season with them. (True, they make fun of me when they sometimes catch me listening to Christmas songs in mid-September but there’s just so many wonderful songs and having only a month to appreciate them doesn’t seem fair!)

Creating and Adjusting Traditions

I’ve taken some traditions from my childhood and built upon them. As a child, each Halloween meant Trick-or-Treating in the neighborhood and making a special trip to the grandparents to show off my costume. Then it was home to have our candy “inspected” to make sure it was safe. We still take our kids Trick-or-Treating. Kevin and Ellie (and sometimes even I) will often get in on the fun of dressing up.

Last year they were still going door to door in the neighborhood even though they were 15 and 11! (Don’t worry, all the older neighborhood kids were out too.) Honestly, I’d rather see them out enjoying this tradition than making mischief! Kevin and I have added new traditions as well. We love going to Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia each year. We even encourage (bribe) the kids to go into the various haunted houses with us to get our adrenaline pumping.

The Thanksgivings of my childhood usually meant having all 3 of my living grandparents over for a traditional dinner. We would spend all day together as an extended family making our favorite foods and sneaking bites from the kitchen before dinner. We’d sit down for turkey, dressing, giblet gravy, and pumpkin pie at a dining room table that was used about twice per year and mom’s fine china would make its appearance. When dinner was done and the kitchen cleaned, we were allowed to bring out the Christmas tree (no Christmas tree until after Thanksgiving Dinner was the RULE). My grandmother would watch as we decorated the tree and (lovingly) critique the placement of each ornament. When I was in high school, my mom started a tradition of giving me a new ornament each year so that I’d have several ornaments for my own tree one day. (I still have every single one of them!)

As an adult, we’ve altered our Thanksgiving menu. We made turkey for several years and then decided it wasn’t worth all the fuss as none of the kids like it much (and, honestly, neither did the adults). We turn on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to play in the background while we bake delicious desserts. We set out shrimp and cocktail sauce for snacking, along with a veggie tray. We make ham steak, corn, and sausage cornbread stuffing. Kevin even labors over everyone’s favorite: his delicious scalloped potatoes! Our dessert table usually has pumpkin pie, either pumpkin whoopie pies or oatmeal cream pies (a secret family recipe, courtesy of Kevin’s grandmother), and sometimes even cheesecake! We stopped worrying about the traditional menu and just focused on the foods that make us happy and spending the day together.

For the few years before Covid, we even took Thanksgiving on the road and celebrated the day in one of our favorite places - Williamsburg, VA. We would have dinner at Captain George’s, our favorite all you can eat buffet with fresh crab legs and all the Thanksgiving favorites. Afterwards, we’d head back to our hotel to get in our comfy clothes, watch the Cowboys play their annual Thanksgiving game, and sleep off our feast. The next day was our opportunity to go to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens and usher in all the Christmas traditions.

We loved this time because it allowed us to celebrate 2 holidays in 1. We could indulge in as much or as little traditional Thanksgiving food as we wanted, plus we could gorge ourselves on crab legs! The added bonus is that there was absolutely NO Thanksgiving meal clean up (now that’s definitely a reason to give thanks)! Then, we could step into the Christmas season with treats at the park and thousands of lights on display in the evening hours.

In 2020, we needed a pick-me-up. For the first time in my life, I broke the Christmas tree rule and we put the tree up before Thanksgiving! Ever since, I’ve adjusted my stance and we put the tree up whenever we feel like it. No matter where we live, there’s something about sitting in a dark room with Christmas lights twinkling that makes us all feel good. Oh, and those ornaments, now we choose one each year as a family and everyone participates in decorating the tree with all the ornaments we’ve collected. Pets that are no longer with us are represented on our tree to bring fond reminders. I also have ornaments made by my mom and grandmother, helping trigger memories of the wonderful Christmases of my youth.

How France Changed Our Perspective

In 2021, we spent almost the entire season of contentment in France! To say I built a new appreciation for all of my favorite things would be an understatement! Fall came early as we spent much of September exploring western France. The cool breeze coming off of the Atlantic Ocean in Étretat and Omaha Beach gave us an excuse to bring out the jeans and flannels much earlier than in North Carolina. Ellie purchased a scarf while at the iconic Mont-Saint-Michel that she used that fall and winter and will for years to come. We dined on a sweet crêpe La Normande (featuring the wonderful in-season apples of the Normandy region) for dessert as we sat at a cafe in the shadow of Château Royal d’Amboise in the Loire Valley.

Throughout our travels, I was eagerly anticipating the colors of fall. Imagine my absolute delight when the peak color met us in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains in the French Alps! With the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains, the reds, yellows, and oranges really popped. It was like having my favorite two seasons all at once. We even found ourselves at the top of Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix where we could see so many peaks, including some in the neighboring countries of Switzerland and Italy!

We weren’t sure how we would address Halloween. We were afraid our girls would really miss the costumes, candy, and haunted houses. We weren’t sure if anyone even celebrated Halloween in France! We were surprised (and completely unprepared) when our doorbell rang a few times on the evening of Halloween. The following day, we had prepared to surprise the girls with a trip to a locally loved amusement park that had an event for the season. Despite some pretty crummy weather, we headed to Walibi Rhône-Alpes and their “WAAAlloween” event. In spite of the rain, we enjoyed a wonderful experience alongside (mostly) locals who also braved the soggy weather to enjoy rides, shows, characters, and fireworks. Sophie even braved her FIRST haunted house! We also got to enjoy a day at Disneyland Paris for their Halloween event.

Thanksgiving Day arrived while we were in Lyon, France. (We used France’s 3rd largest city as our transportation hub to trade out rental cars. It is so conveniently located, allowing us to take the high-speed train from Paris in just a couple of hours.) Thanksgiving in France is otherwise known as “just another Thursday” and turkey isn’t really a thing! Over the years, being adaptable meant that we could enjoy our holiday no matter the circumstances. This is how we found ourselves ordering some delicious food from a local restaurant called Hippopotamus for our Thanksgiving Dinner. We had a variety of foods, and some of us didn’t even make it out of our PJs for the meal! Instead of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, we watched movies and instead of decorating the tree, we played several rounds of UNO together after our meal.

After our time in Lyon, we only had about 10 days left to enjoy France. We focused on getting ourselves into the Christmas spirit. We headed northeast so we could enjoy the Christmas markets in Strasbourg and Colmar. Prior to returning home, we were also able to visit Disneyland Paris one more time. This time around, we were able to enjoy their Christmas decorations, special foods, and special events. Even though we made it home from France in time to decorate our own home for Christmas, this lead-up got us just as excited - maybe even more so, after the prior year was diminished a bit by Covid. We had to change our mindset and be open to some different ways of doing things but it all worked out perfectly. It also proved to me that my family is extremely adaptable, and it made Kevin and I even more committed to full-time travel with our girls.

7 Tips for Enjoying Holidays Abroad

While we’re sharing several ways to make you feel “at home” during your holidays overseas, we want to encourage you to keep an open mind. Don’t be resistant to trying something uncommon. If you’re so tied to your own traditions, you may completely miss the essence of the location you’re visiting. Yes, things will look different than they would at home. You chose this destination for a reason. Lean into everything that your experience has to offer. Embrace the culture, food, language, and traditions that are all around you!

1. Enjoy Your Favorite Holiday Music – Music is therapy. It has the capacity to improve your mood and even mentally transport us to our favorite time and place. Enjoy your favorite traditional music by using Spotify, YouTube Music, or any other streaming platform. Australia might be in the midst of summer at Christmas time but that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate Bing Crosby crooning “White Christmas.” So, turn up the volume and enjoy Mariah Carey’s iconic “All I Want for Christmas is You” while you’re on your way to a local Christmas Market in Europe or on your way to dinner in Asia.

1. Get Whisked Away by a Movie – For Christmas, in particular, a lot of people have favorite family movies. Through the magic of Surfshark (or another VPN to change your location), you can find your favorite movies on Netflix or other streaming platforms. We always make time to watch Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. During our time in France, we made time to watch some of our other favorites like Home Alone. We even discovered Arthur Christmas during our time in France (which we absolutely loved), and added it to our repertoire.

Movies aren’t just for Christmas, though. Kevin loves horror movies while the rest of us DO NOT! We have an agreement, however, where we allow him  to torture us with 1 horror movie each Halloween (age appropriate selections for the girls, of course.) He picks the movie and we all watch it with our adrenaline pumping, resulting in lots of screams, nervous laughter, uncontrollable tears, and some occasional profanity.

1. Lean into the Simplicity – One of the benefits of being away from home during Christmas (or any holiday, including birthdays) is that it forces you to think differently about celebrations. You’ll need to scale back, especially when it comes to gift-giving. It’s just not practical to purchase lots of gifts and have to cart them around until you return home. Be mindful about what you purchase and how you plan to incorporate the items into your luggage for the remainder of your travels. You might even want to consider gifting experiences instead. Get creative! If you’re in Italy, can you book a cooking class for your family to learn how to make a classic Italian pasta dish? If you are interested in travel hacking, perhaps you find a way to give 1 or 2 people in your party a business or first class flight to your next destination. Don’t limit yourself to just “things” and “stuff.”

1. Seek Connection – For some people, being surrounded by lots of people is fundamentally important to enjoying holidays. Rather than thinking about what you might be missing, take control of your situation! Host a virtual holiday celebration with family and friends. If Covid has taught us anything, it’s how to get creative and adapt when we can’t be together in-person. Take advantage of all of the ways we now have to stay connected. FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom, and more offer instant ways to connect virtually with family you might otherwise not be able to see.

Also, keep in mind that there are expat communities all around the world. Reach out through Facebook groups to find local expats and discover ways to connect in-person right where you are. Most of the time, expats are also looking for ways to connect to their home country, particularly during the holidays. Most likely, they will welcome you and your family with open arms. You’ll be able to enjoy the connection and you’ll all leave with new memories, traditions, and friends to treasure.

1. Indulge in Culinary Therapy – Food, like music, is nostalgic. The smells and flavors of certain foods can transform you to a different place and time and jog memories of loved ones. Even the act of cooking or baking can have the same effect. Every year, when we make Christmas cookies together, I remember all the years of making cookies and candy with my sister, mom, and grandmother. Find the ingredients for your favorite holiday foods and cook together. If you can’t find the exact items, get creative, improvise, and create something new! Or, embrace the recipes of traditional holiday dishes from the city or country that you’re visiting. You might just stumble upon something that you love and would like to continue making for years to come, each time reminding you of your adventures.

1. Embrace Local Culture & Events – Jump in and enjoy the holidays in the country you are visiting. Even though they aren’t your tradition, they will help you better understand and appreciate the local culture and customs. Find a holiday themed event to enjoy. Christmas Markets, theme parks, tree lighting ceremonies, and holiday parades are all wonderful family-friendly ways to enjoy the holidays while immersing yourselves in the local culture. This isn’t just advice for celebrating your own favorite holidays. We encourage you to pay attention to your host country’s celebrations. Maybe you’ll find yourself in the midst of Diwali, Chinese New Year, Day of the Dead, Holi, or Ashura. Rather than ignoring what’s going on around you, take the opportunity to learn from locals so you can understand and fully immerse yourself into the celebrations.

1. Collect & Create Keepsakes – Buy a souvenir or 2 that will remind you of this holiday. We embraced our tradition of collecting Christmas ornaments by choosing a new one from the Christmas market in Strasbourg, France. Now, each year when we hang that painted glass Santa on the tree, we are reminded of all the memories we made on our first trip to France. Sophie has been collecting Nutcrackers since she was just 5 years old. Each year, she adds a new one to her collection. Some of them are really big and others are fairly small. We found one she loved at a booth hosted by Germany at the Strasbourg market. It was small enough to pack away in her suitcase and she loves bringing it out each year. She’s determined to add more that have been found in foreign countries to her collection.

Consider creating your own keepsake, commemorating your special holiday adventure by making a photo album. It could be an old-fashioned album made with printed photos and keepsakes like show and railway tickets or restaurant menus. It could also be a digital album created using a platform like Canva or Shutterfly. You can share the digital album with family and friends online. You can even have a copy printed and sent to you to add to your collection.

If you’re truly embracing your experience, you will learn about local cultures and build so many amazing memories that you’ll have opportunities to create completely new traditions. What new recipes could you add to your holiday recipe book to remind you of the foods you enjoyed? Did you enjoy your holiday so much that you now want to consider traveling every year? If you loved Christmas in Germany, would you also love Christmas in Mexico, or Japan, or even South Africa? Maybe travel will become your new gift each year! 

Have you ever traveled abroad over the holidays? How did you make that time special for you and your family? We’d love to hear about your family’s adventures!