Fascinating parties and balls, festive carols, mouth-watering meals and beautiful light decorations- all of these elements make Christmas fabulous and enjoyable. Being a Christian, Christmas also has a religious meaning for me as it is Jesus Christ’s birthday. I believe that everyone has their own reasons for loving Christmas. For me, the meaning of Christmas is ‘reunion’.
Different from local students, it takes a long journey for me to go back to my home city, Hong Kong. While they can go back to their home over the weekend, I can only sit in my room and wait for my father’s Skype call. Christmas holidays are no doubt the best opportunity for making my journey home other than summer.
For me, Christmas holidays even means more than summer holidays, which do not have any special festivals for family and friends to come together and celebrate through the time being at home. Although the festival is not as important as Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, it also creates a chance for me and my family to reunite and have fun together. Christmas is also a special time when many areas of the world, such as UK, Canada and Hong Kong, have their holidays together.
It means many overseas students studying from different cities will go back to their hometown and gather with their friends and family at the same time. Before I started my study in UK, the coming of Christmas had symbolised that my friends, who were studying in different countries, would come back to Hong Kong. After a long period of time when we hadn’t seen each other, Christmas brought us together again and this is the most wonderful time to share their adventure stories which happened while studying aboard.
Thanks to their experiences, I finally decided to start my university life and chase my dream in the UK when I spent my Christmas with here few years ago. I observed that the starting of the UK’s Christmas sales is always earlier than my hometown after I came here. The atmosphere of Christmas is more joyful than I had expected before.
Although the Christmas market in front of Churchill Square relatively small scale, I have never been to a Christmas market which sells traditional Christmas wine, hot chocolate and beautiful Christmas decorations while I was staying in Hong Kong. The Christmas celebration in the UK drives everyone crazy and the Christmas ball is something attractive and new which I have never been to. Everything here during the time of Christmas is merry and fascinating for me.
Yet, no matter how beautiful the Christmas lights are, I would not be happy and my homesickness would be worse if I could not be with my family and friends during Christmas. I finally realise that the most important element which fascinates me with Christmas is being with someone beloved, even if we just stay at home and sing Christmas carols together on Christmas eve.
I wish all of you a merry Christmas.
Hannah Lee Tsz Ying
