)
The holiday season brings a special kind of magic when you share it with someone from another part of the world. For host families welcoming au pairs into their homes, the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's become an opportunity to experience traditions through fresh eyes, share your family's customs, and create memories that last long after the decorations come down.
Whether you're celebrating your first holiday season with an au pair or you're a seasoned host family, the cultural exchange that happens during this time of year enriches everyone involved. Your children discover how families in Brazil celebrate Christmas Eve or learn about St. Lucia Day from your Swedish au pair. Your au pair experiences their first cookie decorating party or discovers the joy of elementary school winter plays. And you, as parents, gain a broader perspective on what the holidays can mean, often rediscovering the wonder of your own traditions in the process.
Why the holidays are perfect for cultural exchange
The holiday season naturally invites connection, storytelling, and shared experiences, making it an ideal time for meaningful cultural exchange. When your au pair joins your family during this special time of year, they bring their own holiday memories, traditions, and perspectives that can transform how your family experiences the season.
Traditions create natural teaching moments
Holiday traditions offer built-in opportunities for cultural learning. As you explain why your family hangs stockings or lights a menorah, you're sharing the stories behind your customs. Your au pair, in turn, might describe how their family celebrates Three Kings Day in January, or the tradition of leaving shoes out for St. Nicholas. These conversations happen organically while decorating cookies, wrapping presents, or preparing holiday meals together.
For children, these moments are especially powerful. They learn that families around the world celebrate differently, that traditions vary even within the same holiday, and that there's beauty in diversity. A child who learns about Italian Befana or German Advent calendars from their au pair develops cultural awareness that extends far beyond what any classroom lesson could provide.
Shared experiences build deeper connections
The holidays bring families together in ways that ordinary days don't. When your au pair participates in your family's holiday traditions, whether it's attending a religious service, watching classic holiday movies, or visiting a local light display, they become more deeply woven into your family's story. These shared experiences create bonds that last long after their program year ends.
Many former host families describe holiday memories with their au pairs as some of the most cherished moments of their hosting experience. Years later, they still exchange holiday greetings, share photos of celebrations, and reminisce about that first time their au pair tried pumpkin pie or taught the kids to say "Merry Christmas" in their native language.
How host families can invite au pairs into American holiday traditions
For many au pairs, experiencing American holidays firsthand is one of the most exciting parts of their cultural exchange year. As a host family, you have the unique opportunity to introduce traditions that might be completely new to them in a meaningful and welcoming way.
Explain the "why" behind your traditions
Don't assume your au pair understands the significance of your family rituals. Take time to explain why you watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, what the Hanukkah candles represent, or why you put an orange in the toe of your stockings. Share family stories connected to specific ornaments or recipes. This context transforms activities from things your au pair observes into experiences they truly understand and appreciate.
For example, if your family has a tradition of everyone sharing what they're grateful for at holiday dinner, explain this custom to your au pair beforehand so they can prepare their thoughts. If you attend a Christmas Eve service, describe what to expect and why it's meaningful to your family. These explanations help your au pair feel included rather than like an outsider watching unfamiliar rituals.
Include them in preparation and planning
The magic of the holidays isn't just in the big moments; it's in the preparation. Invite your au pair to help decorate the house, bake holiday cookies, wrap presents, or address cards. These activities create natural opportunities for conversation and connection while giving your au pair a sense of contribution and belonging.
If your au pair is on duty during holiday prep time, involve the children in teaching them your family's way of doing things. Kids love being the "experts" who show their au pair how to make paper snowflakes or explain the rules of your family's favorite holiday game. This reversal of the usual teaching dynamic can be delightful for everyone involved.
Make space for them at celebrations
When extended family gathers for holiday meals or celebrations, make sure your au pair knows they're welcome to join. Introduce them to relatives, include them in conversations, and help them feel like part of the family. Au pairs are cultural exchange participants, and the holidays are a perfect time to reinforce this.
If your au pair feels shy or uncertain about joining family gatherings, gently encourage them. Many au pairs worry about intruding on family time, so explicit invitations matter. Let them know that their presence enriches your celebration and that your family genuinely wants them there.
Ways to experience your au pair's holiday traditions
While introducing your au pair to American holidays is wonderful, the exchange becomes truly meaningful when it flows both ways. Showing genuine interest in your au pair's cultural traditions creates reciprocal learning that benefits your entire family, especially your children.
Ask questions and express genuine curiosity
Start simple conversations about how holidays are celebrated in your au pair's home country. What does their family eat on Christmas Day? Do they have special songs or decorations? What childhood holiday memories stand out most? These questions show respect for their culture and create opportunities for meaningful sharing.
Don't worry if you don't know much about holidays in their country; your genuine curiosity is what matters. Your au pair will appreciate your interest, and your children will learn that asking respectful questions about other cultures is a positive thing. This models the kind of cultural openness you want to instill in your kids.
Celebrate their traditions together
Once you've learned about your au pair's holiday customs, look for ways to celebrate them together. If your au pair is from a country that celebrates Three Kings Day on January 6th, mark it on your family calendar and ask them to share how their family observes it. If St. Lucia Day is important in their culture, let them teach your children about it and perhaps prepare a traditional treat together.
You don't need to recreate elaborate celebrations! Even small gestures matter. Acknowledging your au pair's cultural holidays shows that you value where they come from and that their traditions have a place in your home. This validation can be especially meaningful for au pairs who are far from their families during the holiday season.
Try their traditional foods and recipes
Food is one of the most accessible and enjoyable ways to experience another culture. Ask your au pair if they'd like to prepare a traditional holiday dish from their country. Shop for ingredients together, let them teach you and your children how to make it, and enjoy it as a family.
This activity accomplishes multiple goals: your au pair gets to share something meaningful from their culture, your children experience hands-on cultural learning, and your family tries new foods in a low-pressure, fun environment. Many families discover new favorite recipes this way, dishes that become part of their own holiday traditions in years to come.
Create new blended traditions
Some of the most special holiday memories come from blending traditions. Maybe you start a new custom of reading a Christmas story in your au pair's language before bed on Christmas Eve. Perhaps you incorporate a decoration style from their culture into your holiday display. These blended traditions honor both cultures and create something unique to your family's experience together.
These new traditions often outlast your au pair's time with your family. Years later, when you continue to make that special cookie recipe your German au pair taught you or display the ornament your Brazilian au pair brought from home, you're keeping your relationship alive and showing your children that cultural exchange creates lasting impact.
The long-term impact of holiday cultural exchange
The benefits of sharing holiday traditions with your au pair extend far beyond the season itself. These experiences shape how your children see the world, strengthen your family's cultural awareness, and create connections that last for years, sometimes even decades.
Children develop global perspectives
When children experience holidays through the lens of another culture, they develop empathy and cultural awareness that serves them throughout their lives. They learn that their way of celebrating isn't the only way, that different doesn't mean wrong, and that the world is beautifully diverse. These lessons, learned naturally through lived experience with a trusted caregiver, are far more powerful than abstract classroom instruction.
Former Cultural Care host children say that hosting au pairs helped them better understand other cultures. Many describe how their au pairs' holiday traditions sparked curiosity about the world that influenced their education choices, travel plans, and career paths years later.
Families build lifelong connections
The bonds formed during holiday celebrations often last long after the au pair program ends. Many host families stay in touch with their former au pairs for years, exchanging holiday cards, sharing photos of celebrations, and even visiting each other across continents. Some au pairs return to visit their host families during future holiday seasons, or host families travel to celebrate holidays in their former au pair's home country.
These enduring relationships enrich everyone involved. Your children gain an international connection they can maintain as they grow. Your family has friends in another part of the world. And your au pair has a second family who cares about them long after their program year ends.
Holiday stress becomes holiday joy
Beyond the cultural benefits, having an au pair during the holidays can significantly reduce the stress many families experience during this busy season. Your au pair can help with childcare during school breaks, assist with holiday preparations, and provide an extra pair of hands.
More importantly, sharing your traditions with someone who finds them novel and exciting can help you rediscover the joy in activities that might have become routine. Watching your au pair experience their first snow, taste pumpkin pie for the first time, or marvel at elaborate holiday light displays reminds you to appreciate these moments. Their fresh perspective can transform holiday obligations back into holiday magic.
Making the most of your first holiday season together
If this is your first holiday season with an au pair, a little intentionality goes a long way in creating positive experiences for everyone.
Start conversations early
Don't wait until December to discuss holiday plans. In October or early November, start talking with your au pair about what holidays your family celebrates, what traditions are most important to you both, and what their expectations are. Ask about their holiday traditions and whether they'd like to celebrate any of their cultural holidays while they're with your family.
Be clear about expectations and time off
Discuss your au pair's schedule during the holidays well in advance. Will they have time off during certain days? Are there events you'd like them to attend? Be explicit about what's required versus what's optional. Remember that while you want to include your au pair in celebrations, they also need personal time, especially if they're feeling homesick during the holidays.
Acknowledge homesickness with compassion
The holidays can be emotionally challenging for au pairs who are far from their families. Acknowledge this reality with compassion. Let your au pair know it's okay if they feel sad sometimes, and offer support. Help them connect with their family back home through video calls, send a small gift to their family if appropriate, or simply give them space when they need it.
At the same time, including them warmly in your family's celebrations can help ease homesickness. Many au pairs report that being embraced by their host family during the holidays, while bittersweet, ultimately became one of their most treasured memories.
Creating holiday magic that lasts a lifetime
The holidays are a time for connection, wonder, and creating memories that last a lifetime. When you share this special season with an au pair, you're not just gaining childcare support—you're opening your family to new traditions, deeper cultural understanding, and relationships that often span decades. Your children learn that the world is bigger and more beautiful than they imagined, your au pair experiences the warmth of an American family during a meaningful time, and your household gains a new perspective on what the holidays can mean. Whether you're celebrating your first holiday season together or continuing cherished traditions with an extension au pair, the cultural exchange that happens around your table, in your kitchen, and through your family's customs creates something truly special: a global family built on shared joy, mutual respect, and lasting love.
)
)
)
)