Ah, the holiday season. The holiday season is filled with overplayed Christmas music, tacky Christmas sweaters, and long lines in every store. Grocery stores turn into war zones, shopping becomes a tiny rendition of the Hunger Games, and awkwardly posed holiday cards come in the mail.
Typically what you see and hear about someone’s holiday was their time that they spent at their grandparents or aunt’s house with the rest of their larger family surrounding them. You see the family photos on Facebook with all the cousins together or the grandparents with the grandkids. Television and magazine advertisements typically depict holidays with large families and married parents opening up Jared’s jewelry boxes. I, however, spend my holidays a little differently.
We all have different stories behind our small families. Divorce, death, distance, military, or maybe something else! Around the holiday season having a small family may bring up some mixed emotions and hard times. Scrolling through Facebook and seeing the large tables with an array of food for everyone can hit a nerve. Seeing large family photos with smiling faces can hit a nerve. Having to sit through a conversation with someone about his or her holiday plans can hit a nerve. The holiday season can feel a little extra lonely when spent with small families.
I come from a complicated divorced family; my dad now lives in a completely different state, and my mom’s family is also all in different countries. The divorce and distance call for a simple and small holiday spent with my mom and younger brother. Honestly, this used to bother me a lot. I used to spend my holidays growing up with a large family but over time things changed. I saw that all my other friends were spending their holidays differently and I wished for the same. Seeing everyone’s Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram posts definitely used to make me a little jealous every year. I wanted the large family holiday. I wanted what the media was showing was the "normal" way to the spend the holidays.
Now, as I have matured a little I do not take my holidays spent with my small family for granted. Sure, it is a different dynamic and not everyone can truly understand but it works. We have our own traditions and we never fail to make the best of our time together. My brother, mom, and I all live hectic lives with complicated schedules. The holiday season allows us a day off to finally sit down at our dining table and catch up on each other’s lives. I love the simplicity of my holidays.
We should not have to deal with the "norms" of the holiday season. We should not need to conform to the ideals of what the media shows us. Spend your holidays as you wish and do not try to live up to the holiday expectations of others. Happy holidays!
