But for many Northern Ireland people living overseas, this is their reality.
Caroline McKenna, who emigrated to Australia five years ago, described spending Christmas abroad in a podcast in the hope that it will provide some comfort to those apart from loved ones for the first time this year.
Caroline, who is originally from Newcastle, Co Down, said that after spending four Christmases in the land Down Under "it gets easier over time".
"This year is a tough one for many of us living abroad as we do not have the choice to go home, we have to stay, so there is a real sense of loss in the community, especially when our families are in lockdown at home," she said.