Many newcomers to Canada are eager to make Canadian friends and feel like they belong to a community. That makes Christmas the perfect opportunity to make connections with your neighbours. Canadians can sometimes be apprehensive about sharing holidays, but even those who wouldn’t celebrate Christmas on their own can feel welcomed by being included in Canadian cultural activities, and a small gift or invitation can be a good way to begin a conversation. Christmas can be a lonely time for those who don’t observe it, or who do but are far from home. Below are five different ways for individuals, families or churches to connect with newcomers at Christmas.
Connect over food, music, gifts, tradition, parties, and presence.
1. Food
“I celebrate Christmas by sharing special foods! I’ve brought something for you!”
You don’t have to be an amazing chef to share Christmas food with newcomer friends. While homemade cookies of any kind is wonderful, you can also drop off a package of chocolates, a small tin of hot chocolate, eggnog or butter tarts from a local bakery. Delivering a small gift of food or bringing treats into the office tells newcomers that you welcome them.
Want to connect further? Invite them to share a meal at your home! Or to join you in making a traditional Christmas treat. Gathering a few families together can lessen awkwardness.
Want to connect as a church? Offer a holiday meal near Christmas for newcomers with traditional foods as well as regional specialties. Providing hospitality like this goes much further than filling stomachs to helping people make friendships in a strange place. Food together is often the starting place of feeling we belong. Hosting a meal can be a very powerful way to build deeper connections.
2. Traditions
“This activity is a Christmas tradition for my family! Would you like to join us?”
Whether it’s cutting down a Christmas tree, touring lights, decorating cookies or attending a Christmas performance, many newcomers would be excited to join your family in a traditional activity. You might not be roasting chestnuts by an open fire, but watching a moving with popcorn can be just as special. While we might be used to celebrating with our closest friends and family, seeing Christmas traditions through the eyes of someone experiencing them in a new way can bring joy and meaning to your Christmas celebration too!
Want to connect further? Consider if there is a church event you can invite a newcomer to observe or participate in. Entering a new church can be intimidating without an invitation, and whether newcomers are already Christians or just curious about your faith, Christmas is a great time to introduce a newcomer to new people, or to deepen connections of newcomers already in your church.
Want to connect as a church? Offer a Christmas service or event specifically for newcomers and those learning English. Consider how to make it easier for newcomers to join in events you are holding for the community. Museums and galleries offer guides to help people interpret what they are seeing, so consider providing a ‘guide’ to a worship experience or event remembering that the whole experience might be new to some people!
3. Music
“This is my favourite Christmas song! Do you have one?”
It’s hard to escape music at Christmas, and it can be dizzying to hear pop ballads about breakups or shopping sprees back to back with O Holy Night. Imagine how the onslaught of new music in public spaces might feel to a newcomer! Music is a great way to connect with others, because it can transcend language and connect across cultures. Share your favourite Christmas songs with a friend and ask about their experience or thoughts on the music. Your new friend could have music they want to share also. There’s lots to connect over and explain when it comes to Christmas music – traditional carols and Christmas folk songs still somehow bring comfort even though few people eat figgy pudding anymore. Prepare to not have answers, but enjoy sharing culture – you can laugh together at the silliness of some songs, or dance together if that’s your thing!
Want to connect further? Find a performance or carol-singing opportunity and invite them to attend with you! Help them find lyrics to the songs and answer questions about the music.
Want to connect as a church? Hold a carol-singing time for those learning English, and explain some of the words or histories to Christmas hymns.
4. Gatherings
“I am hosting a Christmas party for my friends. Would you like to come?”
Christmas is a time for gathering with family and friends, and many of us host parties of various sizes. If this is something you do consider inviting a couple of newcomer families! Let them know what is expected at your gathering in a polite way, and encourage them to participate as other friends would. Inviting everyone to bring a snack or appetizer makes a very fun event and allows newcomers to contribute and have something to share. Be willing to attend your newcomer friends gatherings too, if invited!
Want to connect further? Make a multi-cultural Christmas gathering and invite a number of families from different cultures to bring traditional foods and share a feast! You’ll learn more about each other and make some great memories.
Want to connect as a church? Host a Christmas open house or Christmas party or meal for the neighborhood or welcome ministry hosted by several families together. Print invitations out for new neighbours. Plan for some fun games or even a carol singing time, cookie decorating or other activity will help people socialize and make connections.
5. Gifts
“I brought you a Christmas present”
If you have some relationship with a newcomer (such as a neighbour in your building, a fellow parent at the school your children attend or a co-worker) then a small Christmas present might be appropriate. Explain that gifts are a gesture of friendship and that you value them as a friend. Gifts can sometimes make people feel a sense of obligation in return, or shame for not having also brought a gift. Assure your new friend that you wanted them to feel included in receiving gifts this year, and that they do not need to provide one in return.
Want to connect further? Consider providing gifts to newcomer families of new houseware, blankets or essential items as they make their transition to our country. New and useful items are going to feel like a luxury to some.
Want to connect as a church? Connect with a local newcomer welcome ministry or organization if you don’t have your own and offer to provide Christmas gifts for newcomers who are unstable financially. Together as a church, bless these families with new home goods, bedding, clothing and a few gits or special food treats.
How will you connect with your newcomer neighbours this year?
