This Christmas, Kateryna Kunytska plans to celebrate with a unique mixture of Ukrainian and British traditions – and raise a glass to give thanks for the friendships she has forged since moving to the UK.
“In Ukraine, we always make 12 dishes for Christmas Eve, including kutya, which is a wheat berry pudding. Back home, the children would take it to their grandparents’ and godparents’ homes to share,” she says. But now, they share it with the close friends who have welcomed them here. “We also sing Carol of the Bells, which is based on a Ukrainian song, so we can all sing it in our own language. It’s wonderful that we’re not only keeping our traditions alive in our family, but sharing them with others too.”
Kunytska, 40, and her two children moved to the town of Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, shortly after Ukraine was invaded in 2022. Far from her family – including her husband Oleksander, who stayed in Kyiv as a military volunteer – she began the daunting process of building a new life, far from home.
“On my kids’ first day at school, I was feeling quite lost and didn’t know anyone,” says Kunytska. “But then Kelly, one of the other mums, saw me looking nervous and came over to chat, which changed everything. She introduced me to other parents at the school gates, including Rhianna, who has become a really close friend.”
A local charity provided a tree and hamper, while Kunytska’s family shared homemade kutya with their new friends
As the festive season approached, Kunytska had begun settling into her new home, finding a job as a project manager and moving into a flat provided by a local business. But she couldn’t shake her fears that her children, now aged nine and 11, would miss out on a proper Christmas.
“I love Christmas, but it was hard being thousands of miles from home,” says Kunytska. “There were decorated windows everywhere, and everyone was talking about their plans for Christmas Day, but I didn’t even have enough money for presents. I tried to keep smiling for the children, but it was really tough.”
Kunytska was overwhelmed when, in the run-up to the big day, a local charity turned up at the family’s front door bearing a cheerful festive hamper, a Christmas tree with fairy lights, and a cake decorated with the Ukrainian flag. Her new mum friends rallied too: Kelly delivered Christmas Eve boxes for the children, while Rhianna invited Kunytska and the kids to spend Christmas Day with her family, at their home.
“Everything was offered with such genuine warmth, and people made us feel so welcome,” Kunytska remembers. “It truly felt like a real Christmas miracle.”
With Christmas Eve being a significant day of celebration in Ukraine, Kunytska took her children to church wearing the traditional embroidered shirts. “I was a bit worried about how people might react,” she says. “But then the reverend said: ‘Today we’re honoured to welcome our new friends from Ukraine,’ and after the service, people came over and hugged us and asked about what Christmas is like back home – it was wonderful.”
For Kunytska, the chance to share much-loved Ukrainian traditions with new friends has been one of the most heartwarming aspects of the past few years. “It was important for me to feel an echo of our life from before the war, especially on Christmas Day,” she says. “We took some Ukrainian dishes with us to Rhianna’s home, and sang some of our carols. Meanwhile, she served us a traditional English Christmas dinner, and we pulled crackers together, which we’d never seen before.
“I’d also made some lovely friends in our new neighbours, Sarah and Martin, who invited us to ring in the new year with them. I’d been so sad about what Christmas might look like for us, but in the end it was magical.”
By the time their second Christmas in Gloucestershire rolled around, Kunytska’s family had become a valued part of the local community. “When the church organised its Christingle service, they asked if my daughter would be the Christmas angel, which meant so much to me,” she says. And this year, she’s looking forward to celebrating the festive season with the blended traditions she’s forged with her friends. “Since our first Christmas here, we’ve felt like part of Rhianna’s extended family,” says Kunytska.
On Christmas Eve, Kunytska took her children to church wearing traditional embroidered shirts
As well as enjoying her uniquely multicultural Christmas in their new home, Kunytska will ensure she and the children keep in touch with the friends and family who are still in Ukraine. “My dad sends sweets for the children and traditional Ukrainian foods to help us make our Christmas Eve dishes, and I’ll send him items that you can’t get back home – like Christmas pudding and dessert chocolates. On Christmas Eve, I’ll FaceTime my family: my parents, my sister and Oleksander. I’ll put our phones around the table so it feels like they’re with us. That way, we can share Christmas even though we’re apart.”
The gifts of friendship and kindness Kunytska and her children have experienced since arriving in the UK has made her feel more positive about the future. “I’ve found that if you look for magic and warmth in other people, you’ll find it,” she says. “This year, I’ll toast all the special moments the new people in my life have made happen. I’ve lost a lot to keep my children safe, but I’ve gained some wonderful friendships along the way – and to me, that’s the real wonder of Christmas.”
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