...has come back and hit me hard.

Having been in Perth for around 8 months I thought I had got over the initial couple of months of homesickness, but it has returned and probably worse than before.

I put this down to the run upto Christmas, and the fact that my parents health isn't currently the best.

I love the Christmas period and cold weather, and would spend a lot of time with my family. Sitting in 30+ degree heat just doesn't feel right, and I'm constantly forgetting it's only 3 weeks to Christmas.

I do keep trying to put things to the back of my mind, and to stop thinking of the UK through rose-tinted spectacles, but it's very hard at the moment.

It's hard huh!? I still don't feel quite right having Christmas in the summer either and I'm not, and never have been homesick.

No point me telling you that it's different here and all the other crap that comes with it because you know that already, but you aren't alone in feeling 'out of place' with the whole Christmas thing so I'll just send you virtual hugs instead.

(((((hugs))))))

Same here with the Christmas thing, the thing is the wife seems ok about it which strikes me as weird as she is usually more emotional then me.
Although its hot here it just isnt cosy, they have tryed with the decorations in the office here but to be honest I think they look stupidly out of place.

Whats making it worse is that my parents are here right now and leave back to UK on Sunday.....Not looking forward to that one little bit and would go with them in a heartbeat.

My mum was taken into hospital last week and 3 months of homesickness hit me all at once, it's not nice.

All I can say is reassure yourself that you have done the right thing and that you will see the UK again, it's not like you've gone forever, you're only a plane ride away...

The Christmas decorations thing gets me too.

Seeing tinsel and Father Christmas street decorations in blazing sun, while people walk around in singlets, shorts and flip-flops just screws with the brain!

Yeh it's not right! I'm glad I'm being flown home for xmas cus a hot xmas on my own would mess with my head waaaaay too much!

I always feel crap this time of year, this will be my 4th Christmas, In 2006 I went back to the UK as I can't get behind xmas here, well it just isn't xmas..... I was back in the UK in June so have no excuse! I just want to be there with family and old friends.... Itll pass though......

Happy Christmas everyone
I don't want to be a bah Humbug!

I feel exactly the same at the moment. We have been here for almost 10 months and I feel like we are having a fake christmas like we are pretending its December when it really isn't!

This is the first year of my life that I won't be seeing my family for the festive period. I'm normally the most excited person about christmas but this year I just feel like its a non event. I don't want to feel this way.

I am missing home and my family quite a lot but was hoping it was just because its christmas, only time will tell I suppose.......

We've had a rough family year in the sense that my husband lost his brother suddenly in May and my husband's family arrive this weekend to spend christmas with us so I am expecting it to be an emotional time which at the moment because of the way I am feeling, I just want to distance myself from.

I have a great job and we have made some brilliant friends here but living here is very hard at the moment for me and its not because I don't like it here, I do, but I miss England too and I don't know if I can see myself growing old here.

Yea I never get homesick but christmas is the time I miss the uk. As said above, I think the christmas decorations here just look stupid. They have put a big tree up in Brisbane with snowmen on it etc and you're walking about in crazy humidity.

Been here 3 months and christmas doesn't seem real... I know no one here well enough so it will be a very quiet day for the 3 of us, and I have no plans to cook a turkey etc. It does play mind games with the light evenings and xmas decs and carols wafting about when your body tells you it is summer! Maybe we'll head to the beach....

Not finding it hard to get in to the spirit of Christmas this year, yes it has sneaked up on me, but then i think it's because i have yet to see the "look at how many bags full of stuff I have got to make my materialistic Christmas better than yours" crowds you would get in the UK from the end of September. Christmas this year will be our first family one in 13 years which doesn't involve pleasing other people for the day. Going to make the best of what we have and have quality family time. Next year who knows I may even be longing for the MIL to come over

Surely Christmas is about making other people happy?

I'm the most christmassy person I know! Come December 1st I put my santa hat on and get into the spirt of things. I'm really struggling this year because so many things I associate with Christmas are going to be missing... family get-togethers, freezing walks to the pub to meet old school friends on xmas eve, mum pulling her hair out over xmas dinner with enough food to feed 20 whereas there's only 4 of us, etc etc.

I just try to keep the mindset that this will be the christmas my kids grow up with so I need to stay upbeat and do all the same positive stuff to give them the same great experiences and associations. I don't want Christmas to be just another day in the school holidays for them - it should be a time they really look forward to, and not just for the presents! When they're grown with their own families I want to recreate as best I can the family atmosphere we had in the UK.

The weeks before Christmas for us were spent arranging to see 4 sets of grandparents all wanting to be the first to arrive, have us over on Christmas day etc. It just meant the day was taken over by them and ended up with overtired kids and myself and husband feeling stressed.The Spoiled it for us and them really as for the rest of the year they were not bothered about seeing them. If that's your idea of a family Christmas then fine, this year we will be selfish and make ourselves happy for the first time in 13 years

It wont screw as much as having Rolf Harris singing "6 White Boomers"

WW