Celebrating Milestones Abroad: Marking Moments When You’re Far From Home
A birthday without your usual people. A holiday without the usual table. For expats, third-culture kids, and those building lives across borders, special occasions can feel... not quite like they used to.
We miss the familiar rhythms—the cake from that one bakery, the morning phone call from a parent, the sound of wrapping paper in the living room you grew up in. It’s not the party or the presents—it’s the people, the place, the feeling of belonging.
But here’s the thing: meaning travels. Traditions can evolve. And there’s quiet power in creating new ways to mark the moments that matter, no matter where you are.
Rethinking “Home” and What It Means to Celebrate
Living abroad invites you to reconsider everything—including how you celebrate.
What once felt automatic—booking the restaurant, lighting the candles, exchanging gifts in familiar living rooms—now asks for intention. You can’t always replicate what you had. But that’s not always the point. Sometimes, it’s the permission to start fresh.
The most meaningful milestones often come from creating portable rituals: simple, deeply personal gestures that matter to you, regardless of geography—portable traditions for expats and global families. A toast over video call. A solo dinner at your favourite spot. A bracelet that marks the map of where you are, or where you wish you could be.
I'd love to know; what’s one tradition you’ve carried with you, no matter where you live?
Birthdays Abroad: Making It Meaningful, Not Just Festive
Celebrating birthdays away from home as an expat can feel unanchored—but also unexpectedly profound.
The cake might come from a supermarket, and the people around you might be new. But sometimes, those are the birthdays that stay with you the longest.
One customer once told us her most meaningful birthday happened in a tiny flat in Barcelona, surrounded by friends she’d only known for a few months. “They didn’t know me as a child. But they knew me as I was becoming.”
Whether it’s a handwritten card, a call from someone who remembers the stories behind your smile, or a bracelet that outlines the place where you blew out your candles—these are the gestures that last.
When you're living abroad and celebrating with children or family, creating new traditions overseas becomes part of your rhythm. A pancake breakfast on birthdays. A walk at sunset. A candle lit with intention. It’s not about replacing the old. It’s about layering in the new.
Holidays, Traditions, and the Comfort of the Familiar
Holidays often hold the deepest ache when you’re far from home. The sounds, the smells, the timing of the day. But they also offer an opportunity to blend what was with what is—to create something both rooted and evolving.
I spent many of my formative years growing up in Hong Kong, and certain traditions around Chinese New Year have become part of my fabric. To this day, I find comfort in the bright red envelopes, the scent of tangerines, and the sense of renewal that pulses through the city that time of year. It doesn’t matter where I am in the world—I carry those rhythms with me.
This is what embracing holiday traditions in your new country can do. Whether it’s joining a lantern walk, learning a local holiday dish, or incorporating new rituals into your old ones, you begin to feel grounded—like this place is becoming part of your story, too.
Sometimes it’s as simple as telling the stories behind your own traditions. Lighting the same candle. Hanging the same ornament. Wearing the same bracelet each year as a quiet reminder: this moment matters. Think about it, is there a small object or habit makes a holiday feel like “yours” again?
Jewellery as a Marker of Milestones
When we can’t always be “home” for the big moments, we can carry the feeling of home with us.
A bracelet might seem small, but it becomes a touchpoint—something you reach for when the cake is different, when the crowd is new, when the memory is yours alone.
At The Place, our bracelets are designed to honour these moments: a 30th birthday in Tokyo. A first Christmas in Singapore. A farewell that turned into a new beginning.
Because jewellery can be more than beautiful. It can be emotional. And a single map line, worn on your wrist, can tell a story more eloquently than any postcard ever could.
Celebrate With Meaning, Wherever You Are
You don’t need to be in the same place to celebrate in the same spirit.
Whether it’s a birthday abroad or a holiday in a new time zone, what matters is how you mark the moment. The meaning you give it. The memory you choose to carry forward.
Let your expat milestones be wearable. Let your story be visible. Let your celebrations reflect you—wherever in the world you are.