Every year around this time, mailboxes are flooded with season's greetings -- a year in review, exciting photos of the latest road trip or endearing ones of the newest family member. The roads and airports are packed with people trying to get to their loved ones to celebrate the holidays. Home owners are prepping their decorations ad putting finishing touches on their guest bedrooms, awaiting their family's arrival.

Ever since I can remember, my family never had this.

Now, it's not that we don't have relatives within traveling distance of us. But for some reason, our holidays have always been, well, separate, from everyone else. Our family isn't large -- a mother, father, daughter, son, and some furry friends -- your typical, nuclear family. In the past, our family gatherings would include my mother's parents, but they've since left this Earth. All other relatives have simply been too far in distance for practical travel.

Every year, I'd look at those Christmas cards with huge family photos, or see my friends' posts on social media having amazing trips to their family across the country, or being excited about their favorite aunts and uncles coming to see them, and I'd get a bit envious. The large holiday parties with games and celebrations, and massive feasts with so much food and so many people that seating arrangements seem impossible, always seemed so fun to me -- I felt like I was missing out.

But as time went on, I've learned to love my small family holidays. Because our house isn't overflowing with other family members, we are able to do a lot of things that many other families can't, or wouldn't, do. We can stay in our pajamas all day long. There are never any forced, awkward conversations with not-so-well-known relatives. There is always plenty of food for everyone, with leftovers to spare. I get to spend the chilly days in my favorite place ever: my own home.

Of course, I'm not saying that I wouldn't want to spend the holidays with my non-intermediate family. I think spending any time with my uncle in New York, my aunt in San Francisco, or even the cousins a few counties over, would be amazing. But my relatives are just too spread out for them all to come to us, and due to many other factors and circumstances traveling isn't the most ideal situation for us.

This isn't an attack on large family gatherings; appreciate that you have so many loved ones to surround you during the most wonderful time of the year. But if you're like myself, and my family, realize that it's okay to have small holidays. The most important part about this time is to appreciate what you do have, instead of feeling like you're missing out on what you don't have.