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The Bittersweet Poignancy of the Holidays
Is it just me or are the holidays often wrought with stress and anxiety?
When I was married, there were always the inevitable debates about “which” family we would spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with. We were often “guilt tripped” by this, and we also spent countless hours traveling to and fro to see THEM as opposed to them actually taking time to see US.
After my divorce and my involvement in various long term relationships, this “theme” was still a constant, especially if there were children involved.
A trend I have recently noticed among my girlfriends is this very real need for a stress free holiday which includes opting out of invitations to parties and dinners, “family time” and the associated levels of expectations.
I totally understand this, as I am feeling the same way, myself, too.
And, in looking back over my life, I can see (and remember) how much of my own self was given over, in service to others. This isn’t, in and of itself, a “bad” thing, but I think it’s rather when it all starts to be “too much” that I begin to feel the dreaded sense of “obligation” and struggle with the much needed skill and ability to just say “No, thank you”…for example, I remember years ago, looking through pictures from years of family holidays with my ex husbands family, and, in…
