Festive traditions have changed across the generations, but one thing remains constant and that is our desire to contact absent family and friends on Christmas Day. We all cherish our nearest and dearest, but if some of them have moved abroad, for example to pursue career opportunities, they are missed most at important family times such as Christmas.

In an oft repeated scene throughout the UK, many families will excitedly crowd around the telephone on Christmas Day in order to exchange a few garbled festive greetings to their loved ones in far flung places. But however anxious they are to wish each other a happy Christmas, conversations are often brief as everyone is mindful of the substantial expense of making international phone calls.

Now, as the festive season is in full swing and the big day is rapidly approaching it's time to think about how and when to contact those relatives and friends. These days there are more options available than having to make international calls at extortionate rates on the traditional home phone. Thanks to the combination of widespread broadband availability and increased internet usage, communication with those far-flung relatives has never been easier or cheaper. Select providers on the internet now offer free or extremely affordable communication options through VOIP (Voice over internet protocol) which include high-quality video conferencing, as well as voice calls.

All it takes to stay in touch is to ensure that friends and family have the same VOIP software as you, and then you can make and receive free calls to them via your PC. It is also an extremely useful way of keeping in touch with other members of your family or your friends who have not emigrated but may just be visiting foreign countries. Fill them in on all the latest news from home and find out what they been doing on their travels, as well as wishing them a Merry Christmas.

Additionally, free calls on the internet are also very useful for contacting friends and family who reside in the UK. It is as easy and convenient as using the traditional phone, but most providers also allow you to make video calls too. Just like with traditional phones, if the person you are ringing is not available, you can leave them a voice message and they can return your call later with their season's greetings.

For many families who have relatives all over the world, making free calls to them on the internet will undoubtedly become part of their traditional family Christmas, as well as a great way to keep in touch all year round.
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Adam Singleton is an online, freelance journalist and keen gardener. He lives in Scotland with his two dogs.