Slow-mo GR: Dealing With Holidays. 9th - 13th Dec
Happy holidays everyone!
It’s that time of the year again, and while the holiday season can be a wonderful time full of family, friends and food, it can also present some challenges. Whether you're navigating unpleasant family dynamics, spending Christmas away from home for the first time, or are worried about gift budgeting, this season can be tough for everyone.
Join us next week for a discussion about the highs and lows that we all face throughout this exciting, and at times difficult, month. Starting Monday, December 9th, we’d love to see you there 🙂
@Tay100 We've finished posting questions but you're welcome to reply to them and share your thoughts. 🙂
What does the holiday season look like for you? Do you have any holiday traditions?
For me, the holiday typically involve lots of work. This is a time of year that my work gets the busiest, so it's all hands on deck. I often work over Christmas Day/Boxing Day etc, although will typically find some time to spend with my family as well.
As for traditions, not really. Christmas Day and Boxing Day generally involve seeing family, but how that looks each year varies.
What do you find hardest about the holidays?
I find the whole time pretty challenging. This year those challenges have been amplified by being the first Christmas without my dad. So probably pretty similar to some other people out there, I struggle with the portrayals of 'big happy families' on Christmas Day, when mine looks so different.
What are things you like the most about the holidays?
The weather. Long, warm days where you can be outside well into the evening. People generally seem merrier at this time of year, which is also nice.
What are things you like the most about the holidays?
I love getting to see my extended family, writing cards and going gift shopping.
Thanks @Bee and @WheresMySquishy , I'm really loving reading through everyone's answers here!
I think it's great to acknowledge that Christmas can be a tough time, for so many reasons! Sometimes I feel like there's so many expectations to make everything magical, and buy the perfect presents, and catch up with everyone, and do xmas baking, and be happy and shiny all of the time - that it can actually be really exhausting. Especially if there's tensions with family or whatever. So, I'd say that managing expectations (both mine, and other people's) is a thing I find hard about Xmas.
The thing I love about Xmas is being able to spend time with my friends and family - we'll be remembering a few people who aren't with us anymore this year which is always hard, but I'm also super grateful that I get to hang out with people I genuinely like. And eat ALLLLL the food
Oh, the last few days went by so fast! I meant to reply, but then my brain just wandered off! Thanks for the tag, @scared01! 😂 (Also, love the cat gifs @roseisnotaplant!)
What does the holiday season look like for you? Do you have any holiday traditions?
My 'traditions' look the same as a lot of everyone else's here! Mainly looking around at Christmas lights (my favourite!), watching Carols by Candlelight on TV, wearing Christmas shirts/ jewelry, and opening gifts. Sometimes we will go out to see a specific display/ event. We used to see family for lunch, but because of family tensions we now just have a quiet, chilled lunch ourselves with plenty of bonbons.
What do you find hardest about the holidays?
Honestly, getting older... for a lot of reasons. Christmas time was so fun and relaxing as a child (Santa tracker was one of my favourite things @WheresMySquishy!), but as an adult it loses it's 'magic'. I feel like when I was a child, distant relatives made more of an effort to see us, but now that me and my brother are both (technically) adults, all we get from them is a card (if we're lucky). I don't mean to sound ungrateful and I know people are busy, but I miss the one time of year I got to see and interact with everyone.
Along with getting older is that holidays are at the end of the year -- so, for me, I can't help but compare holidays in the years past and how better they may have been to this year. I also get swarmed with thoughts about how I may not have achieved what I wanted to do this year.
Also, this probably goes with the family thing, but it really makes me feel more isolated. I'm such a giving person, but I don't have anyone really to send cards and gifts to (I miss in primary school when you'd just write cards for your whole class). I see more pictures of people together and having fun, and I feel more isolated and awful for being so down in the holiday season. Even if I want to do something, family is really the only people available I can do it with, and as the years go by they either get more busy or less interested (as is the case with my brother).
What are things you like the most about the holidays?
The aesthetic? Haha. I love Christmas lights and Christmas decorations so much. Also, the longer, warmer days and the amusing juxtaposition with all the decorations being Winter themed 😂.
Those cat GIFs are amazing @roseisnotaplant ! So cute 
Woot! Time to get the chat going guys! 😄
Just before the GR begins i'd just like to remind everyone that if at all you find this conversation distressing or you feel like you need to talk to someone, about an issue then you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or use their webchat and email services found on their respective sites. The links can be found here.
If you are new here then welcome! Have a quick peek at our community guidelines you can find them here!
What does the holiday season look like for you? Do you have any holiday traditions?
(Definitely doesn't have to be to do with just Christmas though! )
1. Well, my family have this tradition of putting the tree up on the first or second day of December, and my mum will always put the star on the tree. And I mean ALWAYS. It’s pretty good though.
I agree with @WheresMySquishy, because Christmas light hunting is what we do sometimes too. If I had Christmas shirts, I would wear them. But I do wear accessories like tinsel and Chrissy earrings! Holidays in general are hard for me to deal with, because I get pretty lonely. But only because I haven’t bothered to contact anyone, because I don’t want to burden my mum with it all. I have 4 younger siblings, so she kinda has to organise a lot of other things for them!
2. Again, holidays are just hard to make contact with anyone. These holidays I have more planned, but this also has to do with me going on a 3 day holiday to Sydney. Plus I have a bunch of presents to make, or finish making. Then, I have unfinished appointments with doctors.
But that is this year. When I was younger, I also believed Santa was real, and had many home school friends to hang out with.
Who else misses being little kids again? With my 4 younger siblings, I have to keep helping make Xmas fun. That is fun in itself though!
// You are worth Something, not Nothing. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise //
What does the holiday season look like for you? Do you have any holiday traditions?
Pretty chill to be honest. For a long time it's just been my parents and younger brother. I've never had Christmas with extended relatives due to the distance.
Traditions? Bon bons at Christmas? 
We share presents some time in the morning on xmas day, whenever we all fall out of bed.
We also check out the Christmas lights people put up for the season which is nice 🙂
Hope everyone is doing well!
Time for the next question:
What do you find hardest about the holidays?
@MB95 @Cheeseburger @xXLexi_Lou122Xx @ecla34 @Hozzles @steana @Sunflower18 @Bananatime04 @Tiny_leaf @MisoBear maybe youd like to join in here
Thank you tho 🙂 I’m sorry
I think that is very brave and responsible of you to recognise @Bananatime04. Knowing your triggers is important. I hope you are okay and able to connect through other platforms on here because I know how helpful and supportive this community can be. We haven't met yet but the more I start to use this the more I'm meeting some amazing people so I'm sure I'll come across a thread of yours soon where we can connect. In the meantime, I hope you are kind to yourself during this time and reach out whenever you need the support. Wishing you the best. I know this time of year is not easy ❤
Hey everyone! The diversity of experiences and feelings around the holidays is such an important conversation, and I have found reading through each of your thoughts around Christmas really helpful to understand my own experience, and to be conscious of the variety of experiences people around me may be going through!
What does the holiday season look like for you? Do you have any holiday traditions?
I usually love Christmas because it brings communities together- I just feel this "buzz" around Christmas. I usually do so much Christmas craft! I think I was lucky to be a lot older than my cousins, so I could experience the magic of Christmas through them and be a part of making that magic. But now they are growing up, I need to re-find the Christmas spirit, as I lost that a bit. I definitely enjoy seeing my loved ones, so I will make time to ensure I see friends and family in the coming weeks, and let them know how much they mean to me!
What do you find hardest about the holidays?
This year is going to be my first year where I am not a carer for someone else, and looking after their wellbeing at Christmas- such a huge change I am still adjusting to. So the hardest thing for me is not knowing what to do with all my time this coming Christmas! I've haven't had to think about what I need to do for me at Christmas for a long time, so this is a good time for some self-discovery for me 🙂
What are things you like the most about the holidays?
Seeing my family is my favourite and having a great time with my cousins! They all live so far away, but it's the one time we all make sure to get together 🙂
Wow! I'm really loving the discussion we've got going so far! I can't wait to come back and respond properly to everything later! For now, here's the last batch of questions for this GR! 😄
What can we do to cope during the holidays?
Have you ever dealt with a difficult situation during the holiday season? How did you navigate it?
What can we do to cope during the holidays?
Honestly, this time of year is so demanding in so many ways. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is nothing. Take a day off. Multiple days. Just grind to a halt and do something non-Christmas/holiday preparation related. Have a couch day.
Have you ever dealt with a difficult situation during the holiday season? How did you navigate it?
Whilst not "difficult" in the traditional sense, I sometimes find it hard to converse and relate to my family. Like, it's not triggering or unpleasant, but I feel like I'm there about of obligation. It doesn't get me excited and time doesn't fly. Maybe it's just a part of growing up.
To deal with it, I just try and focus on the food, what I'll do once it's over and I can recharge (introvert life!) and maybe influence the Christmas tunes if I can!
@Tay100 I think what you say is so true, I think sometimes it feels like there's so much pressure on everyone to do all of the things at this time of year - buy the perfect presents, see friends, see family - that we forget that it can be really hard, and it's totally okay to take some time out for yourself. A couch day sounds like excellent self-care.
I know what you mean about family dynamics being tricky over the festive season, and I think a lot of us here can relate to feeling obliged to be at family gatherings/ talk to people that we may not have seen in years and years. It can be exhausting!!! Time to recharge is definitely super important.
What's your favourite type of Christmas food?
Christmas food.... probably any food that helps me battle the hot Aussie weather! Stone fruits, cherries, a good quality ice cream! And yourself?
Also custard and Icecream, but that’s only if it isn’t brandy flavoured.
This year, my family are making a cultured theme of food! My sister is making carrot fritters, but we call them pakoras. Hopefully there will be fried rice and other good food. I don’t know about you guys, but my family get a little sick of the same food every year... 🙂
Just thought I would post this gif message from the ReachOut team!
