Christmas in the UK (how to feel less homesick)

Christmas is a day of celebration for many people. Be it a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, spending time with friends and family or simply enjoying a day off. 

Being away from home and Malaysia on Christmas can be difficult when you start getting homesick, it will be many people’s first celebration day away from home for the academic year. 

It can start getting lonely and homesickness will start kicking in after months of being away from home. There are many things you can do to overcome it.

Here are things to do to enjoy Christmas away from home. 

  1. Travel to London to sightsee (almost everywhere you go in Central London is decorated with Christmas lights, London will never fail to surprise you)
  2. Go to Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park, London (the students’ union will organise a trip to Winter Wonderland before Christmas day, make sure to check out the website for updates)
  3. Join Malaysian society Christmas event (Malaysian society will usually host a Christmas event annually, check out surreymalaysian on Instagram for updates)
  4. Organise a Christmas dinner with your flatmates/ friends (organise a potluck dinner or cook together to try new Christmas dishes like Yorkshire pudding and pigs in the blanket)
  5. Join university organised events (university hosts a lot of events for Christmas such as movie night, free hot drinks and mince pie, Santa move 2k run in Santa suit)
  6. Go for a walk around Guildford town (on the 21st November, Guildford’s high street Christmas light will be switched on and you can enjoy the Christmas light whilst shopping around or grab a bite to eat or drink)
  7. Go shopping for a good bargain (Christmas and boxing day sales are almost everywhere, you will get great deals on online and physical stores)

Disclaimer: all stores in Guildford are closed on Christmas day itself so make sure to plan ahead for your grocery!