What the Holidays Mean to Me

The holidays used to mean so much to me, it was suppose to be this almost magical time of year where everything is beautiful and everyone is nice to one another and as I became an adult it took me a long time to realize that I had far more hope that it would be a magical holiday season than I needed to because no one in my family was including me in their holiday plans. I had to learn to enjoy this time of year alone-expectations for someone else's actions is never something we should be doing. We can only fulfill our expectations of ourselves, as long as we aren't expecting too much of ourselves either.
The holidays are a time to reflect on what you're grateful for and what is to come and if you believe in God then what he has given to your life. It's a time to celebrate and enjoy dressing up for holiday parties, church, and any other time you want, just because you can. Celebrate you! Enjoy the chill in the air, the comfortable clothes, and the bright, shiny everything everywhere. Celebrate with the people you love - whether that be your family or friends. Family isn't always the people you were born to - it is the people you choose to include in the important and not so important parts of your life - the people who love you unconditionally and the people who openly welcome you into their worlds. Celebrate the holidays with people who make you happy and the best version of yourself. Never spend time with people who make you feel like less than who you are. Enjoy the holidays with yourself if you have no one else to be with. There is nothing at all wrong with being alone, you just have to work on loving yourself so that you can enjoy your own company. Never let being alone bring you down. Make the holidays good for yourself.