We're still quite a way from Christmas, but for most expats in Ukraine planning for the annual Christmas/New Year pilgrimage home has been underway for weeks, months in some cases. Of course, for those headed to the United States, the trip may be somewhat easier this year since the second major airline non-stop service to New York provides opportunities that did not exist at this time last year. Of course, those seeking the sun at Christmas also have a wider range of choices as Ukraine's airline connections to all parts of the world expand at an almost frantic rate.
We thought others might be interested in what a few of their expat friends will be getting up to this year. Therefore, we posed the following question in our monthly Pub Poll:
 As an expat, not long departed from Kyiv, the question begs a different response from those expats still living and working here. Having worked here for two years, I am always surprised by the way in which the country and its people became such an important part of my life. Every time I fly into Boryspil Airport it gives me a strange sense of coming home. That is reinforced when crossing the Dnipro and being greeted by the golden domes of Pechersk Lavra. Therefore, in answer to the question, I shall spend Christmas in Ukraine. I shall depart from Dubai, acclimatize in Kyiv, move on to southwestern Ukraine and celebrate and enjoy Christmas in a way that is not traditional but captures the spirit and honesty of the festive season. Christmas does not seem more real than in the villages of Ukraine, for it is neither complicated nor dishonest. It is about families coming together and celebrating the greatest gift of all time. I cannot wait. Two weeks will pass too quickly before I board my flight for the United Arab Emirates and return to the sun, sand and sea.
John Ormerod
Director of private schools in UAE
In Ukraine two years
Interviewed at O'Brien's Pub
 Seeing as my name is Jarema, I have a deep fondness for the quaint town of Yaremcha in the Carpathian Mountains. I have friends who put up guests in their own home for a reasonable rate. The place offers all the necessary amenities and their father runs a nearby hotel where the cooks prepare traditional Ukrainian meals. Their deruny (potato pancakes) are scrumptious. The town has a national reserve park with live reindeer and the locals offer a special tour through the mountains showing the history of a famous Hutsul warrior, Oleksa Dovbush.
Jarema Hawrylyshyn
Sr. Editor, Evolution Media
In Ukraine 10 years
Interviewed at The Drum
 Brazil, two weeks.
Rob Wright
Project Manager, Ayala
In Ukraine 8 months
Interviewed at O'Brien's Pub
 Christmas in England has always been a disappointment for me. Therefore, I intend to spend Christmas in Kyiv, where I believe I will be able to spend quality time among good friends. Hopefully, I will stay for the New Year and Ukrainian Christmas.
Bill Bennett,
Mgr, Applied Logistics Ltd
In Ukraine four years
Interviewed at O'Brien's Pub
 Late in January I will leave Kyiv for Dominican Republic in the Caribbean area where I plan to spend two weeks of rest under the sun and swimming in that fabulous sea.
Sergio G. Tomaselli
Managing Partner, ITALIMPORT
In Ukraine 10 years
Interviewed at O'Brien's Pub
 My wife and I will celebrate the holidays with our children in our children's home, Friends House, located in the village named Piski, in Chernigiv oblast, Bobrovitsa raion. At present, we care for 21 children, from 1.5 to 16 years old.
Boas Adolphi
Founder, Children's Embassy
In Ukraine 16 years
Interviewed at T.G.I. Fridays
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