The holiday season is often portrayed as a time of perfect gatherings, warm traditions, and families coming together under one roof. But the reality is much more complex — and far more human.
Not everyone will be home for Christmas.
And not all hearts will be gathered in the same place.
Behind the lights, music, and festive images we see around us, countless quieter stories are unfolding:
- Some people are working or deployed, offering service while others celebrate.
- Some live far from the people who matter most to them.
- Some are choosing distance because relationships have shifted or become painful.
- Others are grieving someone they have lost — carrying love and longing into the season.
- And some are without a place — or people — that feel like home.
For so many, the holidays hold both warmth and heartache. There can be moments of connection, gratitude, and joy, woven together with grief, loneliness, and the ache of what once was or what cannot be.
If this season feels different or heavy for you, you’re not alone.
Your experience is valid. Your feelings have a place.
And you deserve compassion — from others, and from yourself.
Wherever you find yourself this year, I hope you meet yourself with understanding and gentleness.
There is space for healing, even during the holidays.
Annika Schaefer
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