Anyone else have to balance at least 4 different family visits during the holidays? I had a third grade teacher who was great about framing the challenges of divorced families... "You get twice as many Christmases and Birthdays!" She was great at making divorce feel like a multiplication of blessings and family members rather than a shattering of family structure, and from then on, my childhood was about looking forward to twice as many Birthday cakes and Christmas cookies, even if it was actually much more difficult than that in reality.
As an adult who married into another family that experienced divorce and remarriage, holidays became 4+ families to navigate during the brief end-of-the-year holiday window. Last year and this year it seems to be increasing to 5 locations in order to spend time with future in-law family as well. While my adult self feels the pain of trying to meet everyone's expectations around the holidays, I always try to bring myself back to the idea that my life is blessed by having more family to visit.
This year, I was able to navigate these expectations among my side of the family by arriving in Michigan ahead of my original schedule, which gave me more time to spend exclusively with my family while they still have to navigate work schedules and their family obligations. To make the most of the additional time, I also scoured local events on Facebook that I might be able to enjoy with family members outside of their normal working routines. I find that extra special memories are created by engaging in events that are outside of our normal routines.
Here's a glimpse at some of the special holiday events I've been able to squeeze in with family while I've been here... my hope in sharing is that maybe it will inspire you to scour your local community events for special moments to share with friends or family as well! I didn't know about most of these until arriving and searching facebook for local special events!
As an adult who married into another family that experienced divorce and remarriage, holidays became 4+ families to navigate during the brief end-of-the-year holiday window. Last year and this year it seems to be increasing to 5 locations in order to spend time with future in-law family as well. While my adult self feels the pain of trying to meet everyone's expectations around the holidays, I always try to bring myself back to the idea that my life is blessed by having more family to visit.
This year, I was able to navigate these expectations among my side of the family by arriving in Michigan ahead of my original schedule, which gave me more time to spend exclusively with my family while they still have to navigate work schedules and their family obligations. To make the most of the additional time, I also scoured local events on Facebook that I might be able to enjoy with family members outside of their normal working routines. I find that extra special memories are created by engaging in events that are outside of our normal routines.
Here's a glimpse at some of the special holiday events I've been able to squeeze in with family while I've been here... my hope in sharing is that maybe it will inspire you to scour your local community events for special moments to share with friends or family as well! I didn't know about most of these until arriving and searching facebook for local special events!
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