You cannot change your family. You cannot change the circumstances you were handed. You cannot change the lifestyle you have experienced. You cannot change the mistakes made by the people who were supposed to lead you in a direction of hope rather than causing your misery. But you can choose the control they have of your emotions. You can change the way you value the holidays without having the power to fix the bond.

OWN THIS FEELING. TAME IT TO OVERCOME IT. RECOGNIZE YOUR IMPORTANCE AND REFUSE TO SUFFER FOR THE MISTAKES ON THE BEHALF OF YOUR FAMILY!

It is easy to feel overbearing loneliness during the holidays. It is easy to be consumed by unhappiness when there is a lack of love surrounding you. It is easy to become intertwined in societies idea of holidays only being properly shared when with family. It is easy to lose your mind when witnessing the happiness around the world during this time and feeling tortured because you fail to relate.

DO NOT SURRENDER TO THIS EASINESS! DO NOT ALLOW THE TOXICITY YOU HAVE BEEN FORCED TO UNDERGO PREVENT YOU FROM FINDING A SOURCE OF HAPPINESS YOUR FAMILY FAILED TO GIFT YOU!

Shy away from the impression that because you are broken, you cannot be healed. There is always a promise of a mind that visualizes the light, even if the scarring has blinded you to it. When your family is absent, when your family has been the sole reason for the anguish you feel, when your family has abandoned you, when your family has injected inescapable horrors into your life; you cannot ignore these tragedies, but you have the capability of managing the ways in which it affects your heart and ability to release yourself of this despair in order to engage in unforgettable holidays.

If you do not have the luxury of true connection in your life currently, there is a sense of family that will find you. Peace is knocking at your door, which is a reason you must hold on and find purpose in your unwanted solitude. Use holidays to celebrate the person you have grown to become despite having a family that has neglected your soul.

Do not let their inability to love you how you deserve to be loved prevent you from finding happiness in concealed and unexpected realms. Create your own exciting traditions with those who are able to empathize with your sufferings. There are so many in your shoes around the world, suffocating in sadness and anger during the time of needed joy. Connect with those in similar positions, those who have lost their family members, and those who are not welcomed with an ounce of care into their families.

There is love that can be felt and exchanged by friends and even strangers. Use holidays as a time to find appreciation within yourself when the world has undermined your value. Do something special that you find great interest in. Find fascination and enjoyment without expectations or demands of a family by your side. You are worth more than what your family has allowed you to believe. Do not let them overrule your wish for cheerfulness during the holidays. Gift yourself the happiness they have not given you, you deserve it more than you know.