12 years ago, I announced to my family that I would be exploring other holidays and customs.
I was a young mom trying to keep up with the traditions of gift-giving for Christmas. Our family had one income, and it wasn't easy to budget for gifts.
We also had a lot of family to see on Christmas and struggled to keep everyone happy. Our hearts yearned to be at everyone's house, but we couldn't be in multiple places simultaneously.
Other family members would get hurt if we didn't visit them, and it became impossible to maintain. The worst part was that our family started to resent Christmas, even the kids were struggling with it.
And that's when we looked at our life and said, "It's time for a change!"
We researched other holidays and found one that resonated more with our lifestyle and hearts.
This holiday wasn't about presents; it was about light and miracles.
We fell in love with the new holiday and announced to extended family members that we would make the switch for good.
This was difficult news to hear for many. I can understand the confusion they must have experienced. Plus, it was a new holiday that was unfamiliar to them.
Several family members immediately accepted our change and sent us things to honor the holiday. Others celebrated with us to see what it was all about. And others didn't understand and wanted us to celebrate their holiday instead.
Today, all of our extended family honors our choice and sends us Happy Holidays during our celebration.
It's wonderful to be accepted and supported with love by all our family.
Nowadays, our little family celebrates through experiences and events instead of gift-giving. We still give gifts to family who celebrates Christmas to honor their holiday, but it's nice to know we can do what's best for each of us and still all get along.
This is just a reminder to do what's best for you and your family. Your decision might ruffle some feathers, but it also might be one of the best decisions you make.
I share more about acceptance, support, and unconditional love in the book Sacred Legacy: Empowered Generational Healing.
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