Happy Holidays!
Happy holidays from Louisiana! How are you celebrating the holiday season with your exchange student?
For exchange students, celebrating the holidays on their exchange year can be an unforgettable experience. Students are excited to be spending the holidays with the host families, experiencing new traditions, and making new memories. Ask your students what holiday traditions they are interested in experiencing on their exchange program and see if it possible to make some of them happen. Keep your students involved during the winter break to help avoid homesickness.
Things to do with your student:
Town Festivities! Does your town have a Christmas or New Year's parade? One of our favorite holiday events with our exchange students in Louisiana is our town's Christmas parade. At first, we would just meet and be spectators enjoying the parade. The last two years, we have been in the parade! The students have loved this experience so much!
Holiday Shopping! Find the holiday sales! Try to have an amazing shopping session with your students and help them find presents for friends and family members.
Cooking! Share your family’s holiday recipes and have your students share their favorite foods and incorporate their recipes into your family celebrations. Have your students help your family in the kitchen when you are preparing holiday recipes. Share your favorite holiday foods and pass down family stories from past holidays.
Decorate! Have you students help you decorate the house. Play holiday music, string up lights, and enjoy decorating.
Play Tourist! Does your town have one neighborhood that goes above and beyond with the Christmas lights and decorations? Play tourist and take a drive though this neighborhood with your student!
Video with Family! Countdown on NYE with your students’ natural families in their time zones. Join in their celebrations so your students can feel connected to the celebrations back home.
Any other family traditions? Caroling, visiting family and friends, ice staking or sledding, building a snowman, snowball fights, ugly sweater contests, family game night, or family movie night watching Elf, Home Alone, Polar Express, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, or It’s a Wonderful Life ... Anything can be made into a celebration for your exchange student!
Enjoy the holidays!