Yes ! Maybe I am too mistrustful , but that was the absolute first thing that came to mind for me . <| sep |> You ' re not wrong to be feeling the way you do . But you might have better success if you take matters into your own hands instead of waiting for your husband to take the lead on respecting your traditions and culture . So . Here ' s a thought . Maybe too late for today , but you could put this into practice for Christmas and see what happens . what would your husband do if you inserted some of your traditions into your daily lives ? For instance 1 . Do you prepare most of the meals in your home ? So what if you made a roast chicken with stuffing and cranberry sauce either with imported items or by substitution for Christmas dinner ? Followed by a pumpkin pie ? 2 . Can you order a string of Christmas lights and a few Americanstyle decorations online ? What if he came home one day and it was just . there ? Would he tear it all down , would he get mad ? 3 . Is there an expat community of any kind on the island you call home ? If not , can you find an expat community online ? You ' re certainly not alone in feeling the way you do . You talk a lot about your husband not respecting your identity or culture . But you don ' t need his respect ! You can have those things if you want . You just need to take matters into your own hands . You can ' t force him to participate or to love it , but similarly , he cannot prevent you from doing it . My advice to you is to take your happiness into your own hands . Embrace your cultural identity the best you can in a foreign land . Make it work . You ' ll always long for home , and holidays make it harder . But you can still be thankful for what you have , and you can make your own traditions . Good luck !