Hi friend,

 

I don't have details for you yet, but as a heads up, both my photography sessions and Patreon have changes coming to both pricing and plans.

 

If you've discussed a photo session with me in the last six months, your current pricing will be good through March 1 of next year.

 

Now, on to this week's letter:

 

A friend of mine told me a curious story this week: Her preschool-aged daughter brought home an Amish friendship bread starter, a classroom-wide gift from her teacher. The recipe included items she doesn’t keep in the house and required bread-making skills.

 

The expectation, of course, was that each child’s parent(s) would hunt down the proper ingredients and learn any skills needed to teach their child how to make bread. With no notice, during the holiday season, before the starter exploded from the confines of its Mason jar.

 

My friend appreciated the thought that went into the gift — from a young teacher who’s passionate about baking — but wasn’t thrilled to have this extra burden.

 

 

This is the conflicting nature of the holidays for so many of us. A season that “should” be joyful becomes an obligation to appear joyful while staggering under a stack of expectations, emotional labor and extra duties. For many who’ve experienced losses, trauma or tragedy around the holidays, an extra box of grief gets added to the pile.

 

That’s not to say that the holidays suck for everyone, or that they suck all the time for those with mixed feelings. I might enjoy a holiday karaoke night with friends and utterly dread going to a family gathering the next day (or vice versa).

 

If you’ve ever said “I hate Christmas,” or “I feel like I should be happier during the holidays,” I’ve got your back — whether you choose to (or even want to!) celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, solstice, New Year’s, or just would prefer it all to go away.

 

You deserve to have a holiday season that’s happy, not a punishment for being you. For those of us who struggle at the holidays, here are some of the best resources on how to set boundaries, take care of ourselves, and know when to draw the line.

 

Unapologetically fat,

 

» Allyship opportunity: Let's Get Gus Out of Oklahoma (see)

 

» Allyship opportunity: Support FLARE (see)

 

» Coming up: Fat-friendly snowshoeing in New York (see)

 

» Coming up: New Year, Same Body, More Love (see)

 

» Coming up: Inclusive Fit Pro Summit (see)

 

» Coming up: Body Positive Yoga Summer Camp (see)

 

» I loved seeing Mallorie Dunn talk about translating thin-focused midcentury fashion to modern inclusive designs. (see)

 

» All The Photo Companies That Have Struck Licensing Deals With AI Firms (read)

 

» December 1 would've been Matthew Shepard's 48th Birthday. While we remember those we lost to AIDS, let's not forget those we lost to hate. (read)

 

» a robber named lilly (read)

 

» Wait, how is Anti-fatness rooted in Anti-Blackness? (listen)

 

🦄 Unicorn chaser: Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz: The Goddess Triptych Reunited (see)

 

👉 List your event, article or resource in the BLG for $5 (purchase)