There’s a version of the holidays we all carry quietly in our heads.
December 30, 2025
It’s calm.
It’s warm.
It’s captured beautifully.
Everyone feels loved.
Nothing goes wrong.
And then there’s real life.
The ornaments take longer than expected to DIY.
The tree goes up late.
The pictures don’t come out right.
Plans fall through.
Someone you were excited to see cancels.
You’re doing your best — and somehow, the joy still feels just out of reach.
If that was you this week, I want you to know something gently and clearly:
You didn’t miss the moment.
You were the moment.
The love lived in the hands that tried.
In the patience you stretched.
In the choice to be present instead of perfect.
In showing up, even when your heart felt heavy.
And for those of you reading this who didn’t have a house full of people — who didn’t have family
nearby, or any plans at all — I want to speak to you directly:
Being alone during the holidays can be heavy in a way that’s hard to explain.
It’s not just quiet — it’s loud with comparison.
Loud with other people’s photos.
Loud with expectations you didn’t ask for.
If you spent the day by yourself, or wishing someone would reach out, or wondering why it feels like
everyone else has a place to go — you’re not broken for feeling that ache.
Loneliness during the holidays doesn’t mean you’re unloved.
It means you’re human in a season that amplifies absence.
We don’t talk enough about how many people carry the holidays quietly — holding things together,
or holding themselves together — hoping that next year feels softer.
If plans fell through.
If you felt unseen.
If you wished, even briefly, that someone would show up just for you — you’re not asking for too
much.
Wanting love doesn’t make you weak.
Wanting tenderness doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It means you’re alive and open.
And here’s the part worth holding onto:
A hard holiday doesn’t cancel future warmth.
It doesn’t predict what comes next.
It simply clarifies what you deserve.
Sometimes the season isn’t about getting it right.
Sometimes it’s about getting through it with your heart intact.
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