Happy Holidays, First name / .!
Before Covid, I used to go to the Nutcracker in Lincoln Center around this time of year. The show always brings up good memories for me.
I grew up dancing in the Nutcracker â the big one at The Fox Theatre with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. I even met Aretha Franklin once backstage. She was wearing a giant fur coat. I looked up and smiled at her with pride over my pink ballet shoes.
The holidays always tend to bring in a mixed bag of emotions. Unlike kids, itâs not all joy and magic for us adults anymore. We plan the joy and magic for the kids, even as we manage our fears, worries, sadness, and grief. Over the past few years, around this time of year, I really miss some key family members who arenât with us any more. I hold the warm memories close while also noticing empty seats at the table.
Itâs like we have a never-ending supply of untied shoelaces at this time of year. They're all waiting to be tied up and often it feels the only one who can is us.
Here to say youâre not alone in it, First name / ..
Those ugly feelings are a challenge to deal with. But itâs also more of a reason to make joy a priority. If you donât plan experiences thatâll bring you joy and take care of you, chances are no one will.
Here are some things that can help this long weekend:
- Spend time with your family (or chosen family). Get off your phone and truly connect with them. Did you catch this tweet thread on who we spend time with over our lifetimes? So powerful.
- Create new traditions that make you smile, even when theyâre far from traditional (eg. Now on our 3rd year, my family is getting a tree this weekend, complete with a Star of David on top)
- Keep your boundaries. whether that means going on your morning walk, renting your own Airbnb, or even skipping the Thanksgiving meal all together.
- Try as hard as you can to carve out some time to rest. Your productivity is not tied to your worth, First name / .
Whatever plans you have, I hope you find plenty of reasons to smile in this season. The big and hard feelings will probably be there, but multiple feelings can exist at the same time.
You can choose joy to be one of them.
