#holidays

#holidays

I get a lot of calls for that topic at this time of year. Sadly, whichever way you cut the demographic mustard-men, women, younger, older, LGBTQ, BAME/BIPOC, neurodivergent, disabled-more and more people report feeling lonely some or most of the time. Sadly, those feelings can be compounded by Christmas, making the festive period difficult for many, for a variety of reasons. The solution lies in being more than a little self-indulgent. It's a call to be selfish, but with good reason.

For most of her adult life, Niro Feliciano's checklist for the holidays looked like this: Host the family gathering, write greeting cards, shop for gifts, decorate and peel carrots for Santa's reindeer all while raising four kids and going to work every day. All the effort to make things perfect for her family left Feliciano feeling frantic and disconnected when the holidays finally arrived.

The holidays rarely look like the glossy greeting-card version you grew up with, and that 's a good thing. From mismatched chairs around the table to spontaneous drop-ins and burnt cookies, the festive season can be a little messy, and all the more wonderful for it. After all, the holidays are yours and the way you choose to celebrate is what gives them meaning.

Usher said it best, "If I'm gonna tell it, I gotta tell it all," and that's exactly what the moms are doing this week in Scary Mommy Confessions. The holidays are hard enough without all of us battling a million other thoughts and worries. Some of us are stressed about our kids, about our finances, about our relationships. Some of us are grieving this holiday season, and some of us are feeling completely pummeled by life.

"No big deal," her dad, a middle school principal for 45-years, told her.

Since we started dating, and way before we had kids, my husband has always been the one to bring the holiday spirit to our home. From getting me my first ugly sweater to buying a tiny tree to fit in our Brooklyn apartment, he loves the holidays and wants to lean in fully. I, on the other hand, kind of don't care.

It's the first Friday of December, which means we're one step closer to the Winter holidays - whatever and however you celebrate, something tells me video games are involved, along with some relaxation, good food, great friends and family, and maybe some more video games. As the year begins to wind down, our backlogs are looking a bit more manageable and I wager I'll look at mine, download multiple games, and touch roughly none of them this month.

The holiday season can stir up a complex blend of excitement and dread, especially for people in eating disorder recovery. Food-centered gatherings, shifting routines, unsolicited comments about bodies, and long-standing family dynamics can activate anxiety even when your recovery feels steady. Being anxious does not mean you are failing. It means you are human. Recovery is hard work on an ordinary day. It takes effort, attention, and support even when life is calm.

Disruption: A Musical Farce is the 66th annual show by SF Mime Troupe, running through August 3 at various Bay Area parks, showcasing renewed energy.

Celebrating Juneteenth symbolizes freedom and independence from a hard, dark history, providing an opportunity for businesses to engage their employees in a meaningful way.

In fact, for many this stress fest will be over in a few days.

The Sims 4's Seasons expansion introduced a customizable calendar with holidays, allowing players to create, edit, and personalize their sim's annual celebrations.

Good Friday is observed as a state holiday in 12 states, leading to varying openings of public institutions depending on the state.