How To Celebrate Christmas If You’re A Student Not Heading Home

Not all students head ‘home’ for Christmas – and that’s perfectly okay! Whether you have a difficult relationship with your family, are trying to knuckle down for those upcoming January exams, or just find flying home at Christmas a bit too expensive (especially if you’re an international student with family based in an different continent entirely), staying at uni near the end of the year can sometimes feel a bit isolating. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the festive season – so here’s some top tips on how to make the most out of Christmas whilst still at university!

Who’s hanging about? Ask around!
If you’re someone who wants company on the day, a good first step to deciding what your Christmas is going to look like is asking your friends or coursemates if they know of anyone not heading home. This way, you’ll be able to round up a group of people in a similar situation to you and brainstorm some festive activities you could do together, such as watching a movie, baking some cookies or hosting a Secret Santa. Furthermore, if you’re currently living in student halls, make sure to ask the management team if they know of any other students staying over Christmas – there’s usually more than you’d think! This way, you can ask to be put in touch with them and possibly combine all your culinary skills for a joint effort at making Christmas dinner! :wink:

Establish your own traditions.
Alternatively, if you’re someone (like me!) who tends to be a bit more introverted, you might want to establish a new Christmas tradition all by yourself. Whether it’s going for a walk in the morning or binging one of your favourite Netflix shows, one of the advantages of having the day all to yourself is that YOU can decide every single minute - no more having to visit that one relative you only see once a year!

Meet up with fellow members of your community!
Every culture has different festive traditions – many don’t celebrate Christmas at all, and others might observe aspects of it differently from the UK norm. If you’re someone who values the traditions of your culture deeply and are looking to celebrate it with like-minded individuals, make sure to reach out to local community groups/churches and see if there are any group events or celebrations taking place on Christmas Day that observe these.

Don’t feel pressured into making it important.
Whilst it’s great to come together with family and friends to have fun and enjoy yourself, for lots of people, Christmas is just another day. If you’re staying in your halls of residence, or are the only one still hanging about your student house, don’t feel like Christmas Day needs to be anything special if you don’t want it to be, or can’t afford it to be. A ready meal, a cosy blanket and some peace and quiet can be more than enough to have a genuinely pleasant day. :h: