As we near the end of November, I am starting to feel the gentle buzz of the holiday season. My roommate can definitely attest — I have been sporadically coming home with more and more holiday decor for our apartment! Something about this time of year has me feeling extra spirited lately.
But here’s the thing: the holidays are complicated. They’re not automatically magical for everyone, and I think that’s important to acknowledge. Keeping that in mind, I’ve been reflecting on what the season truly means to me. This year, I’m choosing to shape the holidays on my own terms, and celebrating for the reasons that feel genuine and grounding.
We all know that Thanksgiving comes with a painful historical context. With tones of colonization and the exploitation of Indigenous communities, it’s something we shouldn’t ignore, and I think it’s important not to gloss over. But when we choose to celebrate for the right reasons, Thanksgiving can be a beautiful holiday. For me, it’s a time to pause, be grateful for what I have, and share a meal with the people I love! This year, I’m feeling especially thankful for the abundance of love surrounding me.
Christmas, Hanukkah, and other winter holidays are rooted in religion. Although I’ve celebrated Christmas my entire life, I’m not a religious person at all. When I was younger, the holiday was really just about Santa, magic, and cookies. Now that I’m older, I’m more aware of the religious history behind the holiday — but I am choosing to celebrate in my own way. I still want to help my family pick out our Christmas tree, take a drive to look at holiday lights, watch all my favorite Christmas movies, and soak up that warm, cozy energy that December brings. You don’t need to be deeply religious to enjoy the season, its traditions, or the feelings it brings.
Then there’s the consumerism aspect of the holiday season. This time of year can very easily feel like a full-on capitalist takeover. Every store has a new sale, your feed is flooded with ads, and everyone is telling you to buy, buy, buy! Lately, I’ve been trying to reclaim that. When I think about giving, I try to focus on the intention behind it, not the price tag attached to it. A thoughtful gift — or even something homemade — shows that you care no matter how much you spend. For me, the meaning behind a gift will always matter more than any giant sale or flashy present.
And of course, there’s the whole conversation around family during the holidays. Some people absolutely love spending the season with their families, and that’s wonderful! But for others, the holidays can bring up tension or stress, and that’s valid too. The older I get, the more I realize that “family” doesn’t have to look one specific way. You can celebrate with the people who show up for you: friends, roommates, partners, in-laws, neighbors — whoever makes you feel supported. Community is flexible, and love can come from anywhere!
So this year, I’m choosing what the holiday season means to me. For me, it’s the little things: being bundled up while walking through a city full of lights, the smell of fresh baked goods, and the warm smiles from strangers in crowded stores.
I want to slow down and appreciate the small moments and the many blessings in my life. I’m choosing to indulge in the holiday season not for religious reasons, not out of obligation, and definitely not because I feel pressured to spend more money, but because it feels like a genuinely positive and hopeful time — a time to be grateful, generous, grounded, and connected.