holiday breakdown (late)

First, I would like to say that obviously I did take the holidays off blogging and it was much needed. But I do want to discuss how the holidays went and what I learned. It’s totally amazing when you’re a kid to not have to go to school, get lots of presents, and see your grandparents that live across the country. Christmas is magical, and the new year is a fresh start, but when you get older, the holidays change. It can be difficult and draining to spend the money you don’t have on gifts or decorations or a Christmas meal. Personally, I found myself ashamed by the cheap gifts I hoped they liked. But that’s not what the holidays are for. For me, the highlight was having my family together in one place genuinely enjoying each other's company. I wouldn’t trade that time for the world. Even so, I still struggled through it so let's do a holiday breakdown. 

I live for a routine. I love knowing exactly what I’m going to do each day so when I wake up there’s no frantic planning. It’s just how my brain works. But when it comes to the holidays, there is absolutely no routine and I’m not going to lie, it really threw me off. I had anxiety about time and leisurely getting through the day, and I really had to push myself to relax and enjoy it. Although, now that they’re over, I am so grateful to jump back into my routine.

Another thing that threw me off was work. It was the first time that I had to work during the holidays and I had to squeeze out time for my family. It was overwhelming, but it made me stronger by pushing through it. My family was so supportive and understanding about having to work but I still wished I was spending that time with them. 

Have you ever heard of a social battery? Well, I have one. And when it drains, it drains. Socializing is a good thing, but too much of it and I’m finding any way to be alone. And everyone knows when it’s over for me. It’s gotten a lot better, but not entirely, and I seem to drain faster during the holidays. 

Not everything is bad during the holidays, but I just wanted to discuss it in case anyone else feels the same.

So, Grace, tell us the good parts! Obviously, the biggest blessing was getting to see my niece. She’s gotten so big since I last saw her and her little personality is coming out. I’m so grateful that I got to spend time with her. During the holidays, I also hear more from my family that I don’t see often, wishing them a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Family is so important to me, and I love hearing from them. Even though I said gifts were somewhat bad because of money, I love this part of the holidays. I love finding things that I think would be perfect and giving them to everyone that I love. And of course, most importantly, getting gifts yourself (HAHA).

xoxo