Today's episode is a little bit different. It's not a guide It's not even a set of suggestions. It's a moment. This is a window into what Christmas looks like in my world, shaped by my Caribbean roots, my English winters, and the long journey of building a life across countries. Keep listening. Welcome to starting over in the USA, the Expat Woman's Guide to overcoming homesickness, embracing cultural differences, and creating a new home away from home. On this podcast, we talk about leaving behind the familiar, you know, the pangs of homesickness and culture shock to the journeys of reinventing yourself. I'm Yolanda Reshemah. And after relocating six times, I know firsthand what it's like to start from scratch, feeling like both a foreign child and a foreign adult in a new world. I'm recording this from my mom's house in Hartfordshire, England. It's 11 o'clock at night. The lights are off, but my mom's Christmas tree is glowing. Being here in this house, in this city, brings back all the layers of Christmas that I grew up with. The food, the UNO battles and the Pink Panther traditions. That just refuse to die because I'm flying back to the USA for Christmas this year I wanted to bring you with me just for a moment to show you what this season looks like in my family and how those traditions shift and soften and just somehow reshape themselves when we expats, foreigners celebrate Christmas across borders. This isn't an episode about what you can do for the holidays. It's a story about belonging and memories and about ways we carry home with us even when we are far away. So settle in and let me take you into my Christmas, the Caribbean slash English slash American blend of it. And maybe it might remind you of your own. It's the week before Christmas, i'm laughing at the fact that you can see the reflection on her Christmas tree, across the backyard. My mom has thrown everything at this little tree. It's a tiny tree, but she pulls it out every year because she loves it. It's covered in a ton of multicolored lights. All the bubbles and tinsels that she's ever owned is on that thing. I've never seen anything like it, but you know what? I wouldn't change it for the world. We are not staying in England for Christmas this year. We're flying back just before, but I have to give you a glimpse into our Christmas tradition as a Caribbean family living in England for over 40 years. It starts with a secret center. Sometime in November, 50 pounds is the limit because there are so many adults. We are married, we've got kids there are grandkids, and now my mom has great grandkids. Well done mom. I'm blowing that trumpet to you. You made this happen. But around now, just before Christmas, it's about getting the logistics right. Where the big day is gonna happen and who's doing what. The menu is usually traditional with some new things thrown into the mix of it, everything is made from scratch. I'm talking about days of seasoning meats. We've got a little bit of Turkey, a huge roast ham. Somebody might do a whole salmon. We've got the traditional veg, yams, eddoes, dashing plantings. We've gotta have all of those. And if you don't know what those are, that's okay. Nevermind. But the logistics of Christmas itself starts early Christmas officially begins when you have your first work due. I'll tell you about the work do in a minute. But church plays a big role in this family because it's our community of people who sees us, people who care for us. We visit each other when somebody's sick. We celebrate we cry when life happens and life has been happening. Church on Christmas morning. Ah, don't forget to buy a special outfit for the occasion. That's how it is. Sing Carols, give gifts, hug, kisses. Wish everybody a happy Christmas. Then home to finish the cooking, which started yesterday, by the way. After dinner, uh, that's at 5:00 PM. Presents. And the traditional Bailey's Irish cream is opened. It's tipped over ice because some of us are lightweights. Call uncle so and so in Trinidad and call cousin, what's her name at home every single year. We make calls to families, make sure we connect and find out what everybody's doing on this special day. Then presents are open and this can take an hour. Cakes are cut and the other tradition. The apple crumble comes out, well, I say apple, but it's apple and pear, and crumb, and nutmeg, and cinnamon, and secret spices, and more secret ingredients. No, i'm so sorry, but I can't share the recipe. But I have to add. I brought that to my family's house as a 15-year-old from school but now you won't recognize it and other people are taking the credit for it but that's okay. I've learned to let it go. Nine o'clock, 10 o'clock in the evening. This is where the fun starts. The kids are getting sleepy and the Uno, no Mercy savagery- but fun-- comes out. We have our own rules. There's never been a drip of mercy. A plus two dropped on a plus four, A plus four on another plus four, and so it goes on until somebody has to pick up 16 cards. There's sighs of relief, there's hoots, there's laughter, and then there's more savagery and we love it. But now it's after midnight. Nobody's tired. The game goes on until it doesn't anymore. When it ends, pink Panther comes on. We watch Pink Panther every year. Whoever's left, oh, I was gonna say whoever's left alive, but whoever's left awake at this point we get more Baileys out, more black cake, black wine, and another helping of something curried and tasty and warmed up. At some point in the early hours, it's time for you to leave the house of whoever hosted you this year. You've gotta figure out how to get home, and where you are going to sleep. Because we have to repeat it boxing Day, and to you boxing Day is the 26th of December. And like I've said before, we love it. We wouldn't change it for the world. It's about family, it's about community, it's about traditions, and it's about love. But that's just Christmas Day with my family doing it the Caribbean way..Here in the USA. We still play games. We still cook our Christmas dinners. It's paired back, but we still have our crumble and it's just as delicious. We go for a walk on the wetlands behind the house. We go for hikes. We still phone our family friends back at home in different countries. We still have our Christmas tree, but we haven't quite managed the art of throwing everything at it yet. But we'll get there. So, my expat friend. However you have decided to spend your holidays, wishing you a very merry Christmas and the Happy New Year. I'll be back with more tips and strategies and great stories from my expert friends here in the USA. Bye-bye.