When Cultural Expectations Clash at Christmas

For many of us in the diaspora, Christmas isn’t just a holiday it’s a cultural negotiation.

Family back home expects certain things.
Your children, raised abroad, expect something different.
Your spouse might have their own traditions.
You’re living in a country with its own Christmas culture.

And somehow, you’re expected to merge it all together.

Here’s how to navigate cultural tension with grace:
1. Honour where you come from.
Food, songs, prayers carry parts of home with you.
2. Honour where you are.
Build new customs and rhythms in your current home.
3. Honour your children’s reality.
Their childhood will not look like yours that’s okay.
4. Honour your spouse’s background.
Blend with respect, not competition.
5. Let Jesus be the centre, not culture.
Culture is beautiful, but Christ is bigger.

When cultures collide, choose unity over winning, peace over pressure, and love over expectations.