E

very country and culture across the world has its own way of celebrating Christmas.

The Swedish, for example, have St. Lucia Day, during which they light candles or torches at homes, work and in parades; at the other end of the earth, Australians, for whom Christmas falls in the middle of their summer, might head to the beach, have an outdoor seafood barbecue, or a hot traditional English meal.

One factor that unites Christmas celebrations everywhere is that they are undoubtedly a family affair.

But what if you have to celebrate Christmas when living in a country away from your home and family, and perhaps in a country that is not predominantly Christian, such as Indonesia?

Alan Grant, a Scot who works in Jakarta as a teacher, said that in his hometown, he would celebrate Christmas by visiting family members and having lunch or dinner with them, as well as giving presents.

"For me, Christmas is a family thing, an event to gather with my family," he said. "But this year, I'll celebrate Christmas here because my father is visiting me."

Grant said that the foods served during the Christmas festivities were usually roast turkey and potatoes with gravy; drinks were some form of alcohol.

"Since I'm not going to cook, we will probably eat out at a restaurant," he said. "We are not sure which restaurant we will choose, probably the ones that are frequented by other expats."

As he is not personally a fan of the Christmas tree and decorations tradition, Grant won't be decorating his Jakarta home in the Christmas theme.

Yui Rieko, a Japanese woman who works in a culture center, said she would hold a private party with her family and friends. However, she added, for her, the Christmas celebration was quite new compared to the New Year celebration.

"During the Christmas celebration in Japan, we usually eat roast turkey and cake and decorate a Christmas tree," she said. "But we just celebrate it as a party, not observing it religiously, because it is a Western tradition that has only been celebrated in Japan in the past 20 to 30 years."

Despite having lived in Jakarta for two and a half years, this year will be the first time she celebrates Christmas in Jakarta.

"I'm sure we can find Christmas cake and other essential stuff for Christmas at Japanese supermarkets, such as Papaya, Kamome and Daisho," she said.

During the holiday season, malls, hotels and restaurants put on all sorts of special offers to attract people, whether with their families or alone, children or adults, to spend their day at their premises.

As a Christmas special, many hotels and restaurant serve turkey or other traditional Christmas dishes. Take for example Hotel Lumire, formerly known as Hotel Aston, in Senen, Central Jakarta, which serves roast turkey. Sweet treats such as Yule logs and gingerbread are available in hotels and patisseries, such as Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, through its pastry outlet Kempi Deli.

Missing the snowfall or perhaps wanting to see some snow? Mall Taman Anggrek shopping center can probably give you the feeling, as it has a snowfall five times a day at the atrium area from Dec. 5 to Jan. 3. The snowfall is scheduled for 15 minutes at 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The mall is decorated in the theme of Santa's Magical Village; it resembles a small European town with a puppet parade featuring 30 electronic teddy bears. The bears are wrapping gifts, singing and dancing.