HUNTSVILLE, AL -
Picking the right tree, shopping for gifts, and sharing a family meal are the things that make Christmas for many people in the Tennessee Valley. For some, none of that matters, Christmas is just the 25th day of December.
It's a known fact, not everyone celebrates Christmas.
WHNT NEWS 19 caught up with a few students at the University of Alabama in Huntsville who are staying at their home away from home during the holiday.
Yang Zhou is from China. Zhou and his friends decided to hold a get-together just one day before Christmas.
Zhou says the gathering is not for the holiday.
"In China, we don't celebrate Christmas. We celebrate the spring festival as the end of the year," said UA-Huntsville Student Yang Zhou.
The UA-Huntsville Freshman is like several other international students at his school. Some of them did not travel even though the school was on Christmas break.
A long plane ride kept Zhou on campus.
"It's quite tiring I guess, to spend 13 hours on the plane," added Zhou.
Soudabeh Kargar is from Iran. She's also a UA-Huntsville student. Her country also does not celebrate Christmas.
"We don't put up a tree. We don't do gifts and things," said UA-Huntsville Student Soudabeh Kargar.
Kargar stayed on campus to avoid losing her visa. She says a new visa must be issued every time she leaves the United States for Iran, and vice versa.
"Basically, I don't want to go. I did not want to risk my education," added Kargar.
Kargar arrived in the U.S.a little over a year ago. She did not participate in Christmas last year since she had just arrived. Kargar told WHNT NEWS 19 she will go to her first Christmas party this year.
It's a known fact, not everyone celebrates Christmas.
WHNT NEWS 19 caught up with a few students at the University of Alabama in Huntsville who are staying at their home away from home during the holiday.
Yang Zhou is from China. Zhou and his friends decided to hold a get-together just one day before Christmas.
Zhou says the gathering is not for the holiday.
"In China, we don't celebrate Christmas. We celebrate the spring festival as the end of the year," said UA-Huntsville Student Yang Zhou.
The UA-Huntsville Freshman is like several other international students at his school. Some of them did not travel even though the school was on Christmas break.
A long plane ride kept Zhou on campus.
"It's quite tiring I guess, to spend 13 hours on the plane," added Zhou.
Soudabeh Kargar is from Iran. She's also a UA-Huntsville student. Her country also does not celebrate Christmas.
"We don't put up a tree. We don't do gifts and things," said UA-Huntsville Student Soudabeh Kargar.
Kargar stayed on campus to avoid losing her visa. She says a new visa must be issued every time she leaves the United States for Iran, and vice versa.
"Basically, I don't want to go. I did not want to risk my education," added Kargar.
Kargar arrived in the U.S.a little over a year ago. She did not participate in Christmas last year since she had just arrived. Kargar told WHNT NEWS 19 she will go to her first Christmas party this year.
