Traveling in December is the worst. After all, it's hard to get excited for the holidays when you spend your entire break bouncing back and forth between multiple households and celebrations. Once I was an adult, my husband and I felt obligated to continue this pattern. We didn't even have a Christmas tree since we'd never spent a Christmas at our own home. Christmas became an expensive obligation instead of a joyful celebration.
For our first child's first Christmas, no plan felt right. It was a 10-hour drive to my family and a 4-hour flight to my husband's. Traveling with an eight-month-old didn’t seem fun. The guilt and anxiety of my teenage years bubbled up; instead of focusing on Christmas joy for my daughter, all I could think about was how much I hated it. Did I really want to pass down that tradition?
Setting boundaries allowed us to create new traditions. Instead of mapping routes and checking flights, we chose to stay home for the holidays. By prioritizing our family’s needs over obligation, we found peace and joy in celebrating at home, thus transforming our holidays from stressful travel to a time of meaningful connection and celebration.
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