The holidays are here, and they aren’t tiptoeing in. They’re everywhere. Wrapped around street lamps, blasting through store speakers, popping up in commercials whether we want them or not. And this year, I’ll admit it, I’m overflowing with holiday cheer. It’s like it’s bubbling out of my OI bones, which is hilarious because I know exactly what it feels like to have seasons when that cheer refuses to show up. I haven’t forgotten those years, and I don’t take this feeling for granted. If anything, it makes me more protective of it.
Holiday joy can be delicate. One minute it feels solid, and the next it gets tangled up with everything going on in life. And you and I know the world hasn’t made it easy for us this year. Some of you are still recovering financially or feeling the exhaustion of a long stretch of stress from the shutdown, from the shaky economy, from life simply piling up. And then commercialism shows up like the unwanted guest at my holiday party, popping into every corner like it owns the place. What makes it even more frustrating is how easily holiday culture forgets us.
The ads never picture our reality. Invitations never mention the stairs. Restaurants get chosen without a second thought about the doorway. And for many of you, the holiday season runs right into whatever your body is navigating, whether it is a flare up, a recovery day, a health issue, or a budget that cannot stretch to match the expectations around you. The world keeps spinning, the season keeps speeding ahead, and you are expected to keep up with it all as if those barriers do not exist.
When the Weight of the Season Lands on Your Spirit
Commercialism might be loud, but it is the easiest part for me to brush off. It pops up, it makes its noise, it waves its discounts, but it stays predictable. After a while it becomes the kind of background chatter I refuse to absorb. It is the rest of the holiday weight that starts to land on my spirit.
The real challenge is that strange emotional space where you’re trying to enjoy the season and keep up with life, but you still feel like you’re doing everything and nothing at the same time. Even when I’m having a good time, I’m managing my health, giving my shoulder space to heal, and juggling all the invisible stuff that doesn’t take time off just because it’s December.
Then there’s the online stuff. I’ve noticed a wave of people sharing every detail of their holiday exhaustion, their frustration, their refusal to celebrate this or that. And you might start reading those posts just to “check in,” but after a while, their feelings start to seep into your own mood. That’s when you know it’s time to roll away from that conversation. You don’t have to carry other people’s emotional overload, especially not during a season that already asks so much from us.
Protecting Your Spirit in a Season That Pulls You Thin
When it gets too loud, externally or internally, I go to my cozy spot. My little corner of the world where I can feel my spirit settle again. Maybe it’s my room with the red curtain. Maybe it’s the twinkle of the Christmas lights when the rest of the house is quiet. Maybe it’s my morning coffee with oat milk while I breathe in the moment and think about one or two things I’m grateful for. It doesn’t have to be a whole production. It just has to feel like yours.
Because the truth is simple: your feelings about the holidays are valid no matter what they look like. Overflowing cheer? Beautiful. Flickering cheer? Still beautiful. No cheer at all? That’s human, and there’s nothing wrong with it. You don’t have to pretend, you don’t have to perform joy, and you definitely don’t have to match anyone’s expectations of what this season “should” look like.
Protect your spirit the way you protect anything that matters, intentionally, firmly, and with zero guilt. The holidays will do what they do. People will post what they post. The world will spin the way it spins. But your peace? That’s yours to keep.
If this piece helped you protect your own spirit today, you can always show a little love and help me keep writing these stories. Buy me a coffee and support more audacious work: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/nathashaalvarez
If you haven’t joined our VIP newsletter, here’s your chance. Weekly newsletter, giveaways, and private VIP group. Click I AM IN!
PS. Oldie but goodie from Tashauna Swanson. YES! I will read it.