Celebrating Christmas at Malta

2020 has been a year out of the normal. I don’t like to much normal so in that sense it has been fine but there is one day out of the 365 days I want to be like always and that is the 24th of December. But since this year wouldn’t be it was just to do the best of it and it turned out very well although I missed seeing my family at home. So how was my Christmas abroad this pandemic year? I will tell you.

Morning run

This exercise tradition I don’t leave out. With the sun in my eyes I ran a 10K route here at Malta. Best possible start every time I do it and so also this Christmas Eve. Do you exercise at Christmas?

Santaswim

I convinced my colleagues (wasn’t that hard though) to join my Santa swim, I mean if you are celebrating Christmas at a warm place a swim is a must and Malta is 20 degrees warm and about the same in the water so that wasn’t much of a challenge to go for a swim don’t you think? so we all dressed up in our bathrobes and Santa hats that one of my colleagues bought to us walked to the nearby beach. Then it was time for the Santa swim. I can reveal I was the first one in and the guys thought it was ice cold but I am so proud of them that they did it in the end.

Breakfast

It was the best weather in a long while so we had breakfast outside and the sky was all clear. Such a luxury. No Santa porridge this year but it will still be there at home possible to eat when I get home at one point.

Relaxing time

Then we all did our own stuff for a bit. I soaked up the sun reading a book. I started on the flight here to Malta and flipped around three pages in that book but after that I really havn’t had time so it was great to just stay outside and read for a bit. I am reading a book about the holocaust and the similarities of how people are registered and classified during that time compared to what now is done with corona virus scares me.

Donald duck time

3 pm on Christmas eve is a holy time so of course we watched Kalle Anka and ate candy and had glögg. Note that we even had Christmas decorations.

Christmas dinner

One thing I didn’t missed out this year was the traditional Christmas food from home and that we went to a nice restaurant at night instead of eating meatballs and herring was an advancement.

Same, same but different

So although Christmas wasn’t played with the normal rules it was great! I have only been abroad once at Christmas eve before (Australia 2006) and if there is one day I want to be at home and with my family every year it is the 24th of December. We Facetimed for quite a long so got my fair share of digital hangout and got to say hi to everyone and although that doesn’t replace IRL. So this year was a step out of the box Christmas and I do actually hope more Christmases will be like that, more creativity and fun hangout rather than just doing the classic one. How has your Christmas been? are you happy with the outcome this year and are there any things you will take with you to next (hopefully pandemic free) year?

/ Pernilla that just finished Christmas at Malta