It's the Simple Show. You've got episode 51.

Hi, I'm Tish Oxen Rider and on the Simple Show we talk about books, travel, and life at home.

In this episode, I am joined by my co-host Stephanie Langford.

Hey, Stephanie.

Hey, Tish. How are you doing?

I am great.

Stephanie, tell us a little who you are and what you do.

Well, I'm an entrepreneur and a writer and a mom of five, and I live in Ottawa, Canada. You can find me online at ontrafamily.com. And I, too, am a writer and mom living in central Texas, and I'm online at theartofsimple.net. Well, this is a travel episode. So we are going to talk about celebrating Christmas around the world.

We thought that would be fun since it's right up on our calendar.

So we're going to talk about what's been our experience and where we dream of spending the holiday and maybe also a little bit about a few other holidays mixed in.

And we're also going to talk about how you can carry on your own

traditions and make really special holiday memories even when you're far from home. All right. So

Stephanie, you and I have both spent Christmas abroad in different places. Where have been some of

your favorite Christmases you've spent outside of Canada?

I think that our first Christmas married in Japan was probably my favorite Christmas abroad.

That was, well, it was our first married Christmas.

So that was really special in and of itself.

But it was also my first opportunity observing Christmas in a different culture and everything was just so, I don't know, it was so different.

I mean, Japan is not a Christian culture.

So that was, you know, that was really unique for me.

And yet it did feel like Christmas, you know, you'd go to the malls and there was

Christmas decorations everywhere.

...