For the first time ever, we will be on our own for Christmas. In a stange sort of way, we are quite looking forward to it. I've been slaving away and cooking huge Christmas family dinner for years- so we will get a good rib of beef, with all the trimmings - and probably walk in the snow or go cross country skiing. What will you be up to if not going 'home' for Christmas this year?

We will spend it with our two sisters friends and their mother. Au menu; nice yummy Argentinian meal made by their mom.

This will be my very first Christmas away from home....and possibly a white Christmas.

My Schwiegereltern are coming over from Germany for Christmas so I will be attempting to cook my first Christmas dinner......I have been a spoilt princess in my 38 years, having my mum do the cooking

I know I will be a bit sad at not being home for Christmas, but have decided to try and do a traditional Christmas Dinner.....Leg of Ham, Turkey, maybe Yorkshire puddings and Trifle for desert.

Did a test run last weekend for the Trifle and it was a hit

Will make some Glühwein and crank up the heating to try and recreate the lovely warmth of a New Zealand Christmas.....but I don't think I will be going outside in shorts and jandals hehehe

Since we've been here in CH, our Christmas trifle has been the perfect mix of English and Swiss - black cherry and kirsch trifle.

Cake in the bottom of dish, (plain or chocolate) splash of kirsch all over. Two good quality bottle of black-cherries (reserve about 8 for decoration) - boil with some sugar for a few minutes - sieve and place cheeries on top of cake, then boil juice and sugar again to thicken with a bit more kirsch- add a bit of cornflour or arrowroot to thicken, pour over cherries and cake. Top with custard with a bit of cream added - then top with whipped cream and grated dark chocolate- decorate with cherries. Everybody absolutely loves it.

Looking forward, hopefully, to having a peaceful Christmas with just the two of us. Christmas has been disrupted by one thing or another since 2008 so would be very nice to have everything go as planned without the sad problems we had in recent years. Cat had to be put to sleep two days before Christmas in 2008, mother-in-law wasn't well in 2009 so we went to UK for Christmas, 2010 father-in-law not well so again back to UK. Last year he passed away end November - yet another couple of trips to UK when he was in hospital and then for funeral - and finally no sooner got back from the UK when hubby broke his ankle just before Christmas so I was on my own at home until the New Year. Please just let me cook a Christmas meal for two in my own home in my own kitchen. That's all I ask.

Not sure about sticking cake in my bottom and splashing kirsch all over myself. Oh, in a bowl

That sounds great.

We usually don't go home for Christmas (or Thanksgiving). The dogsitter is rarely free on the holiday, and the flight prices those two weeks are eye-poppingly expensive.

Rather, we'd go home over St Nicolas Day, spanning the two holidays. We bring a little European tradition to the US, the flights are (somewhat) affordable, and best of all: no dueling MILs comparing notes as to who got more Christmas time.

We'd then celebrate Christmas here by ourselves. Bottle of wine in front of the fireplace - who needs anything more?


This year it's a bit more complicated, though, as the parents and ILs are in need of family gathered round on the day itself. So I'll be visiting my folks, OH his.

We'll get to ring in the New Year together though... sharing a lovely meal of airplane food on the flight back to Zürich.

I love Christmas here. Australia is just too far and it's too expensive to get there at this time of year.

We spend every Christmas eve with some Austrian/Argentinian friends, which is lovely (and means my daughter gets to have two lots of present opening!), and then Christmas just the three of us on Christmas day. We will go for a walk or take the sled if there's enough snow. Trifle is an absolute must, and I am very tempted to try the black cherries, Odile!

I love the lead up to Christmas, with advent concerts and markets, and all the little traditions. I can hardly imagine a summer Christmas now. After ten years away from Oz I'm thoroughly used to the cold. Anyway, all the lights look lovely when it's dark outside.

I remember when I was a kid in Australia looking at all the fake snow and singing the songs about dark winter nights and wondering how any of that could be real. Now I know!

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You are home since home is where you come back to each night and sleep! Change your perception and start treating where you are as home and even if its only for a period of time then you will feel all the better.

Personally for me attempting to go back where I came from for christmas is madness and in fact I refuse to go even if members of the family have done so before. After a number of years here I find it a real chore to even consider going 24 hours in a plane at the most expensive and stressful time of the year, much rather being here but theI have only ventured to the land down under about once each 5 year period

In the 40 years I lived in the UK, I never came home for Christmas as OH had to work shifts over the festive season. My parents came to us more or less every year until they were in their 90s. Fortunately, our daughters, OH's and grand-children came to spend the first Christmas we had back here, which turned out to be my parents' last.

Yep. That's how i feel. And i hate the crush of holiday travel. It really brings out my inner Scrooge. This year, we are driving to the Netherlands to have a quiet holiday with my husband's father and brother. And in mid January, when there's not so much travel, we'll visit the US.

We are going to the UK this Christmas. The tickets to go to Cyprus were 4 times the price. Its not home but the in laws sighned my birthday card "mum and dad" so....

Which region will you be in Gata?

I won't be at home for Christmas.

I've got to go to bloody England.

Milton Keynes. Want me to bring you anything?

Where exactly?

Birmingham. It's ok - nice to do some shopping and lovely to see family - but I'd rather stay home in Glarnerland where I belong.

Ahahah you can go and ski at Snowzone! Milton Keynes is not my favourtie, but Oxford and the beautiful Cotswolds are not far - hope you get a chance to visit them. The Cotswolds is a hilly region, full of wonderful mellow stone villages with Thatch and slate roofs - picture postcard stuff. Not far from Milton is also the great Bicester American style outlet store, with the after Christmas sales, and a Carluccio Italian restaurant for lunch. And of course London not too far either. Enjoy

And of course Stratford, Warwick and the Cotswolds just down the road from Birmingham for you and MN, DB. And perhaps Coventry Cathedral - sure MN would love them all. Or even the Peak District- and a day at the Golden Mile in Leicester with a great Curry (+ the new wonderful John Lewis).

We will spend Christmas seperate this year - HE is going home to see his family and me and the kiddos are going to see my mom, and my daughter's 18th birthday will be on January 1st which she will celebrate going skiing; it will be hard to be away from each other.

I will be there as well one day. Just for the shopping though. I already planned it

We're going to do some stuff - but we pretty pushed for time. A seafood restaurant we've had recommended, a trip to my home village (I'd be happy to never set foot in it again, by MN wants to see my 'roots'), hopefully a decent carol service at a nice church... but much more than that is likely to be impossible.

But I want mountains! And schabziger! And Adler beer! And raclette!