Christmas & New Year’s Away From Home
As an Austrian, Christmas Eve has always been the main celebration. It’s when my family gets together for dinner, exchanges gifts, and spends the evening together.
This year was different.
Christmas Eve in KL felt, in many ways, like an ordinary day. I went shopping, treated myself to a new daypack for the rest of my travels (thanks mom & dad!), wandered through the city and enjoyed the warm tropical weather. It was strange knowing that back home everyone was wrapped up in winter while I was walking around in shorts and a T-shirt.
That moment that made it feel like Christmas was a video call with my parents and my brother. I called them after dinner, just before they exchanged gifts, so I could still be part of the evening, even from the other side of the world.
It wasn’t quite the same, of course. But I’m grateful that technology makes moments like that possible.
What surprised me most was just how festive KL felt. I hadn’t expected it at all, but shopping malls, hotels, cafés and restaurants were beautifully decorated for Christmas. It actually reminded me a little of the holidays in the United States, where Christmas decorations seem to appear absolutely everywhere.
A week later came New Year’s Eve.
My plan was simple: watch the fireworks at the Petronas Towers from KLCC Park.
For a while, it looked like that wasn’t going to happen.
A heavy tropical downpour rolled through the city that evening, and I decided I wasn’t going to stand outside in the rain until midnight.
Luckily, the weather cleared just in time. I headed toward the Petronas Towers around 11pm, only to find enormous crowds (duh!) already gathering on the streets leading to the park. For a moment, I genuinely thought about giving up because I didn’t think I would make it into the park before midnight.
Instead of squeezing into the busiest area, I kept walking toward the far end of KLCC Park. It turned out to be the best decision I could have made. The crowds became thinner, I found a comfortable spot, and I was able to enjoy both the countdown and the fireworks without feeling completely packed in.
Looking back, it was such a fun way to welcome the new year.
Standing beneath one of the world’s famous skylines, surrounded by thousands of strangers, celebrating a new beginning nearly 6 hours before my family back home.
It’s one of those travel memories I never planned for. And somehow, those often end up becoming the ones you remember most.
