Expats abroad: Helen Olivares in Nashville
Helen Olivares grew up on a farm just outside Wellington, and worked for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society where she met her husband Gus.
"Gus is originally from Dallas, Fort Worth, but settled in Tennessee some years ago," she said.
The couple moved to Franklin, near Nashville, in 2011, and since then Christmas has been very different from what she was used to on the farm.
"For a start, we deep fry our turkey in peanut oil," she said.
"That's a whole turkey deep fried all in one go. A 15lb turkey would take approximately 40 minutes to cook completely. So, no more getting up really early in our house to get the turkey in the oven in time for a lunchtime meal.
"When I first heard of this cooking method, I was horrified. I imagined the meat to be unbearably greasy but it is in fact the opposite – delicious."
The turkey is usually accompanied by southern-style dishes such as green-bean casserole, home-made cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, collard greens and giblet gravy.
Dessert usually consists of a vanilla-flavoured cheese pie or a similar pecan pie.
"The afternoon of Christmas Day is a big day for American football," she said. "Unfortunately, this most likely will end in tears with the family team, the Dallas Cowboys, causing a certain amount of frustration.
"Christmas traditions have certainly been very different for me over the few years and despite enjoying the great southern hospitality Tennessee has offered me, I still miss my family at this time."
Now meet the rest of our Shropshire expats celebrating Christmas abroad
