A flight from London to Malaysia can cost over a grand – one reason why Tai Jei See, 21, an international student at the University of Southampton, will be spending her first Christmas in the UK this year.
“I feel sad and get more homesick during festive seasons – especially during Christmas,” she says. “But it’s easier to cope when I have friends to spend the holidays with and a lot of work to keep me occupied.” She plans to cook dinner with them and go to church.
Florence Lee, 21, a student from Hong Kong at the University of Cambridge, has also spent her Christmases in the UK. “I’d rather spend money on food and books than an uncomfortable, long-haul flight,” she says.
For Lee, Christmas day in London might involve a stroll around Hyde Park, dim sum in Chinatown and a traditional Christmas dinner in the evening with friends.
The journey home is also too far and too expensive for Al-Hussein Abutaleb, 33, a PhD student at the University of Sheffield, originally from Yemen, who will be spending his sixth Christmas away from home. He doesn’t usually celebrate it, so he’ll spend his time off eating cheese and watching TV.
Jose Hong, 23, a UCL student originally from Singapore and currently on his year abroad, will spend his third Christmas away from home – this time in Sweden after two in the UK. “I came to the UK to learn more about different cultures, and on the continent Christmas has great historical significance.
“I want to experience it as local people do, which is what I did last year when I went up to the Midlands with a friend,” says Hong. This year he’ll be learning about Scandinavian traditions from a host family.
Getting an authentic taste of how different cultures celebrate Christmas is what many international students want most, and Host UK has been linking them to unpaid hosts, with whom they can spend Christmas day, for 27 years.
Kimberley Brough, Host’s student programme manager, says the scheme offers them opportunities they wouldn’t have if they spent Christmas with other international students.
“Christmas with one of our hosts gives them the chance to try something that’s usually a completely new experience.”
Hosts sometimes leave decorating the tree until the last minute so students can help, and Christmas crackers are always a big hit, says Brough.
It’s often the first time students have had British home-cooked food. “One Christmas, a student was offered a gravy boat and, not knowing what it was for, poured it into his drinking glass, which gave everyone, including the student, a good laugh.”
But for international students who want to do their own thing, many universities have a lot to offer over Christmas.
Since 2011, Durham University has hosted a Christmas lunch for them in Durham Castle’s Great Hall, and 250 students are expected to attend this year.
Diners can choose between roast turkey breast, bacon rolls and chipolata sausages, and a wild rice, spinach, pine nut and portobello mushroom wellington.
Lei Wang, 22, a master’s student at Durham, attended last year’s lunch and says the historical architecture provided the perfect atmosphere in which to spend Christmas, which isn’t a national holiday in his home country of China.
“I used to celebrate it mainly at school because we didn’t have days off. We might give cards and gifts to classmates, but that was it,” says Wang.
During his four past Christmases spent in the UK, he has spent time with friends’ families in the UK: “This is the best way, so I get to see how it’s really celebrated, like how happy little kids are to receive presents from Santa.”
To help international students get a feel of a real British Christmas, staff at the University of Sheffield will accompany them to services at Sheffield Cathedral on Christmas eve and day.
And in the run-up to the big day, Sheffield is holding activities including games and craft evenings, bowling, ice skating and museum visits.
Loneliness can be an issue for students staying on campus, so the University of Southampton will be hosting social events – including a Christmas day tea with food, board games and party games, and film screenings on Boxing Day.
“The multicultural atmosphere is great and those who come along enjoy the fun of celebrating a family Christmas, however far they are from home,” says a university spokesperson.
On Christmas eve, the University of Sussex is hosting a free Christmas lunch and will open its Meeting House on Christmas day for students to celebrate together.
Newcastle and Northumbria universities are collaborating for a third year to host a range of festive activities, including visits to the Christmas market at the Beamish Museum, a Newcastle United home game and a pantomime.
There will also be a treasure hunt around the city and a free lunch on Christmas Day at St Luke’s Church, Newcastle.
Students at the University of Birmingham can also take a trip to the city’s renowned German Christmas market for a less than traditional British Christmas experience.
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