when Christmas isn’t the “happiest season of all”

Christmas is upon us in two days and I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly know what happened to December. Between work and life and home and the craziness of the season the month flew by. And worst of all is that the marketing that comes at us makes it seem like

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”

Between the:

• Lines
• Busyness
• Family
• Commercialism
• Rain/Snow/Dark
• And the to-do lists that never end

We are all running around stressed and haggered and that is when most of the things in our life are going right. Christmas can also be a time of the year filled with a lot of pain and sorrow.

• There are people in our life who won’t be sitting at the table this year
• Family and friends that live too far away to see
• Relationships are strained and seem too bad to be fixed
• Expectations have been placed on you that you don’t think you can fill

All the happily ever after Christmas movies remind you of what you don’t have and all the merry wishes make you feel more and more bitter inside. Know this: YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

In what is supposed to be a time of togetherness and family, more and more people are feeling alone and instead of spending time together we place expectations on ourselves, our family, and our friends. Christmas has become a time of stress, lines, bad Christmas music, and failed baking projects. We feel like we can’t say that this isn’t a great time because we may bring down the feelings of others, but if you can’t say it now, a time to be together, when can you?

But also, don’t feel like you have to participate in everything this season brings. If it is too hard to watch that movie, don’t, and if you get stressed heading to the mall the week before Christmas (which if you don’t I don’t understand you) you don’t have to. People will understand your ability and inability to participate in the festivities and I don’t want you to put yourself in places of pain before you are ready.

So as we round the season and get closer to Christmas know that you don’t have to feel connected this Christmas, you don’t have to feel like you have to be filled with happiness, but also know that there are others in your life who will support and love you. Christmas is what you make it and if it is completely different from what it was before that is okay and if it is too hard to do anything that is okay as well.