In Mauritius, Christmas doesn't smell of pine trees. It smells more like barbecue. One festive season in the Southern Hemisphere is enough to realize how different Christmas feels here. Think humid heat, lychees, and beaches filled with families. We spoke to expats living in Mauritius about their first Christmas in the tropics, the surprises, the adjustments, and what they wouldn't trade for anything.
The first Christmas in Mauritius with family is an unforgettable moment
Living in the north of the island with her Mauritian partner, Albane experienced her first tropical Christmas in her very first year in Mauritius. Caught between the traditions she tries to preserve and the new rituals she has adopted, her 25 December now looks nothing like the Christmases she knew in France.
Her first Christmas Day in Mauritius coincided with Covid: “I had a terrible Covid migraine! But the day itself started on the beach, sharing a venison fondue organized by a family, right in front of the turquoise lagoon.”
Her favorite culture shock: “It's hard to believe you're really celebrating Christmas without the cold. What surprised me most was how much seafood features in Christmas meals. It's very different from foie gras and turkey. It's also harder to get a real Christmas tree (the ones that you get here are different from those we had back home), and many families use artificial ones.”
What unsettled her the most: “It's difficult to picture Santa with his big beard and red coat in the tropics. But children still believe in him, and that's what matters. In France, my Christmas tradition was midnight Mass (at 8 p.m.), followed by sitting by the fireplace with chestnut soup and specialties from my region. That's not easy to recreate here, but the joy is the same. I try to keep the traditions that matter to me: setting up a nativity scene, having a small tree and decorations, attending a religious service, and marking the day with gifts, a homemade Yule log, and good food.”
What she misses most: “The warmth of a wood fire in the countryside can be missed. But very quickly, a boat trip in perfect weather, wearing newly gifted colorful swimsuits, becomes the plan, and you realize how lucky you are. Still, the winter atmosphere and traditional carols can make you feel nostalgic.”
What she loves about Mauritius: “The atmosphere is festive. It feels like one long summer holiday. It's not relaxing at all. In fact, they're the most exhausting holidays of the year, but you come back tanned, full of vitamin D, and ready to face the new year.”
Christmas with your feet in the water, not in the snow
Living in Tamarin for the past year and a half, Marine spent her first Christmas away from her family last year and quickly embraced the idea of a summer Christmas.
Her first Christmas in Mauritius: “I remember it very clearly. My best friend called to wish me a Merry Christmas and showed me her snow-covered garden. I showed her the small tree we'd decorated in ours. She was so jealous that she's actually here this year for the holidays. Since it was my first Christmas away from family, I spent a lot of time on calls and video chats with my loved ones. Then we went swimming. Having your feet in the ocean on Christmas Day felt strange! In the afternoon, we joined friends for a barbecue. It looked nothing like a traditional Christmas, but it was joyful. I loved it from the very first year.”
Her favorite culture shock: “The contrast between very Western-style decorations and the weather. Seeing inflatable snowmen here genuinely made me laugh.”
What unsettled her the most: “In Europe, December is when everything slows down: you stay warm under a blanket, knit, and make soup. Here, it's the opposite. Everything speeds up. People go out, and music is everywhere. Mauritius has a particularly festive energy.”
What she misses most: “Traditional Christmas markets, warming your hands with a glass of mulled wine. Here, you cool off by swimming in the sea instead. But you get used to it. And honestly, I don't really miss cold Belgian winters. I moved here to escape them.”
What she loves about Mauritius: “The simplicity. The holidays feel far less commercial and more family-focused. Watching fireworks from the beach is hard to beat.”
A more relaxed pace
Nicolas moved to Mauritius four years ago and settled in the cool of Curepipe with his partner. Some of the connections he made early on left a lasting impression.
His first Christmas Day in Mauritius: “We arrived in early November 2021 and didn't know many people yet. We'd become friendly with Gaël, the real estate agent who helped us find a rental. On the 24th, we shared a fondue at home. On the 25th, we joined Gaël and his family on Albion Beach. There were about thirty of us, and it was really lovely. I have such fond memories of that first Christmas. We truly felt like part of the family. When you've just arrived and left everything behind, that feeling is incredibly precious. And this year, like every year since, we'll all be together again on the beach on the 25th, around a barbecue. It's become our tradition.”
His favorite ‘culture shock': “The way people celebrate Christmas without stress. In Switzerland, December is a race with gifts, decorations, meals, invitations, etc. Everything is planned down to the minute. In Mauritius, no one rushes. People prepare food and get together with family or friends, no fuss. That sense of total ease really struck me.”
What unsettled him the most: “There's no build-up. In Switzerland, you feel Christmas coming: markets, lights, early nights, biting cold, and decorated shop windows. Here, you might have no sign at all. You're doing your grocery shopping in 30°C heat and suddenly come across a plastic Christmas tree. It feels like Christmas has been teleported.”
What he misses most: “The atmosphere. I don't really find that here. But we recreate some traditions. It surprises people, but even in December we eat fondue. Sometimes we bring cheese back from Switzerland, or friends bring some when they visit. And of course, a good white wine to go with it.”
What he loves about Mauritius: “The mix of cultures. Everyone celebrates in their own way, but there's respect and sharing. There's a kindness here that you don't find everywhere.”
Far from the cold, close to human warmth
After a lifetime of Quebec winters, Marie-Ève discovered a Christmas in Mauritius without snow or winter boots but rich in human warmth.
Her first Christmas Day in Mauritius: “I was feeling a bit low that first Christmas, being so far from my family. On the morning of the 25th, my partner suggested a walk on the beach. Honestly, I didn't really want to go. Back home, you don't walk on Christmas Day. You stay in your pyjamas and eat leftovers. We went anyway, just to clear our heads. At first, it made me feel even sadder, seeing families together and thinking of mine far away. But we met so many wonderful people that day. Everyone was cheerful and wished us a Merry Christmas. We even spent a long time dancing with people playing music. In the end, I found the Christmas spirit again through that generosity and joy. The setting and the form are different, but the essence is the same.”
Her favorite ‘culture shock': “In Quebec, Christmas means shoveling snow, pulling on boots, hats and mittens, and clearing the car to go and see family. It has nothing in common with here. Back home, it's very cozy. Here, everything happens outdoors. It feels like an end-of-summer party—surprising, but incredibly warm.”
What unsettled her the most: “The contrasts. In Quebec, you step outside in December and freeze; you go inside and thaw. Outside is white; inside is colorful. Here, it's warm outside and warm inside—and there's color everywhere, all the time. I struggled to know when I was supposed to feel the ‘Christmas spirit'.”
What she misses most: “I do miss my country a bit more at Christmas than at other times of the year, especially the cold, the scenery, the snow, and the lights. But what I miss most is time with family. I'm always a little nostalgic and sad around this period. I dream of surprising my family one day by showing up for Christmas. But Quebec is on the other side of the world, and flights are very expensive at that time of year. Maybe one day.”
What she loves most about Mauritius: “In Montreal, the festive season is a rush. Shopping malls are packed, the metro is overflowing, and buying a single gift feels like an expedition. I have a big family, so there were always many presents to buy. I loved helping my mum prepare Christmas dinner. It was a special mother-daughter moment, but hosting everyone was a huge task. We were constantly afraid of forgetting something, or worse, someone's gift. In Mauritius, all of that disappears. It's calmer, more relaxed, and less choreographed. No one overthinks it. Everyone brings a dish, a drink, a salad or a dessert. Everything goes on the table; people help themselves, talk, laugh, and enjoy. There's a lightness to Mauritian celebrations, a sense of ‘we're together, and that's what matters'. It feels like everyone slows down instead of speeding up.”
Spending the holidays in Mauritius doesn't mean giving up on celebrating Christmas. It means reinventing it. Traditions change, settings change, and sometimes even the Christmas tree does. But what expats describe above all is a new feeling: celebrating Christmas in “summer holiday” mode, with light, sea, family and that small moment of wonder when you realize that it's Christmas in summer. And perhaps that delightful contrast is part of the magic.
