There’s something wonderful about going home for the holidays. Family is reunited, people are happy, and, especially in my family, people are singing their hearts out and making more food than we really need. For Thanksgiving, it’s all about the turkey and the cranberries. For Christmas, it’s about the tree, the presents, and the movies. For every holiday, there’s a strict formula you’re expected to follow. If your family goes out to eat instead of having a large home cooked meal, you’re considered unusual.

This, however, is something that needs to change. The holidays should be about what makes you the happiest -- not what you’re expected to do. There are many, many people who don’t follow the standard holiday traditions. They don’t hang stockings above the fireplace, they don’t fight over a wishbone, and, for some, they don’t spend the time with their families. They go out with friends, the people who make them feel the best, or spend the day inside, curled up in front of a TV. For so many people, the perfect holiday that’s always shown in ads is something unattainable.

TV shows always seem to show the same thing, and it would appeal to a wider audience if they varied their holiday traditions. They need to understand that there are people who follow a variety of religions, or no religion at all, who still celebrate during the holiday season. Despite media’s constant push to diversify their content, they continue to display the ‘traditional’ holiday as something set in stone. They tend to show the same four person family, and they never show a family that doesn’t have both a mom and a dad. There are always two kids, and enough money to go around that everyone can bring a dish to the table. The family always celebrates in a house, never an apartment, and the weather outside is absolutely perfect. Occasionally, they’ll throw in a non-Christian family, but their holiday traditions are never shown in depth.

Media has shaped us to believe that there is only one way to celebrate. It’s not about the food, or the music, or the presents. It’s more about what you want the day to be, whatever that entails.

So, if you ever find yourself thinking ‘wow, why doesn’t my family look like that at Thanksgiving?’ I’m here to tell you what countless advertisements and movies have failed to do: however you spend this holiday season, know you’re not the only one who isn’t partaking in a picture-perfect tradition. More likely than not, you know somebody whose annual trip into the city is more than enough of a celebration for them. More likely than not, you know somebody who spends the holiday just the same as they do any other day, and that’s okay, too.

Whatever you plan on doing this holiday season, have a good one. No matter what your day involves, you deserve to feel your best and not feel pressured to follow what the everyone else believes is the perfect holiday. Yours is perfect enough already.