Hello, friends. ✨ I've been wanting to write about Christmas nostalgia and what it means to me so many times before... I’ve loved Christmas ever since I was a child, but over the years, certain experiences have deeply altered my view of this cherished holiday. As the leaves start to turn in October, I know that my most favorite time of the year is approaching. Yet, for the past few years, I’ve found myself unsure of how I feel about it.
When I lived in the United States (it honestly feels like another lifetime at this point, but I miss my second home every day), I decorated the house however I wanted, and A LOT. I still embraced some Czech traditions, which meant, for instance, opening gifts on Christmas Eve, the 24th of December—completely normal in the Czech Republic. In the U.S., as many might know not just from watching Home Alone (lol), gifts are usually opened the following morning, after Christmas Eve.
Christmas in the U.S. felt magical, albeit in its way. What I found most different, now that I think about it, was the shopping culture and the abundance of options. Everything was so accessible and, comparatively, affordable when earning dollars. Even in Florida, where snow was a distant dream, people went all out with decorating their homes, creating an electric, festive atmosphere. We would just drive around the neighborhood to watch the Christmas lights weeks before the holidays.
But then my life took an unexpected turn, and I returned to my hometown of Prague. That first Christmas back was, honestly, a shock. If I can even call it "home" anymore—after spending four years in the U.S., I felt more American than Czech. Returning to family after years away, everything felt different. It wasn’t just me and my brother with our parents around the Christmas table anymore. My brother now had two kids and a wife also living in my parents’ house.
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