You dread the family holidays every year
Every year it comes around and your stomach sinks — the gathering, the same tensions, the relative who gets to you, the old dynamics you fall straight back into, the days of it. You love them, sort of, or you're supposed to, and you spend the whole run-up bracing and the whole event counting the hours until you can go home.
Ah, the holidays — the one time a year we're all commanded to be joyful together with the very people who know exactly how to undo us. The dread is so common it's almost universal, and there's no shame in it. Here's what I've learned: you have far more say over how these go than you use. You're an adult now, not the child who had to endure it exactly as served. We'll get specific about what you actually dread, set your own terms in advance, plan your small mercies and exits — and gently let go of the fantasy of the perfect harmonious holiday, so the real one stops disappointing you fresh each year. Let's make it bearable, maybe even a little warm.
What changes unlock by starting
- You name what you actually dread
- You decide your terms in advance
- You have your exits and small mercies ready
- You let go of the fantasy holiday