From Thanksgiving straight through New Year’s, life gets busy, emotional, and a little chaotic. The calendar fills up, the routines wobble, and suddenly every week has another gathering, another tradition, another moment that pulls us out of our normal rhythm.
For years, I let this stretch of time steamroll me. Not because anything dramatic happened, but because I was so distracted by everything happening around me that I stopped paying attention to what was happening within me.
These days, I’m trying something different. I’m focusing more on enjoying the people than the plates. More connection than consumption. More memories than mindless moments.
Because honestly, the part I remember most about the holidays has never been the food. It’s the laughter. The inside jokes. The familiar stories I hear every year. The warmth of being around people I love, even the ones who drive me a little bananas. That’s the good stuff. That’s the stuff that lasts.
I used to think I had to brace myself for this season. Now I realize that I just have to be myself during this season.
Here are a few mindset shifts I’m practicing:
Centering on the people, not the table.
When I pay attention to faces, conversations, and connection, everything else gets quieter. It’s easier to stay grounded when I’m fully engaged with the people in front of me.
Treating each event as a moment, not a test.
There’s nothing to “win.” Nothing to “survive.” Moments are just opportunities for me to be the version of myself that I’m becoming.
Remembering future me.
Come January 1, I want to look back on this season with joy and pride. Not with dread. Not with regret. Not with that familiar “I blew it again” feeling.
Staying true to myself isn’t about getting everything right. It’s about paying attention to what matters to me. It’s about honoring the progress I’ve made, even when the season gets loud and busy and nostalgic in all sorts of ways.
And what if I stumble or have a few messy moments? It’s human. It’s normal. The win is in looking back at it as a great holiday season and moving forward with kindness.
The holidays aren’t a trap. They’re a chance. They’re a chance to show myself love in real time. A chance to focus on the present. A chance to make memories with the people I love. And I’m ready to make that choice, over and over, all the way into the new year and beyond.
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