1/17/25

Now that it’s after the holidays, I am relieved. Part of this relief is that the rush and prioritization of mass consumerism is over, at least for now.

I never anticipate what holiday shopping tends to bring out of people. This year though, to my surprise, I handled terrible human nature better than I have in a long time, which is something for a future post.

The official end to my holiday season is when I publish my annual tribute essay to my deceased grandma on January 11, the latest of which you can get right here. I am grateful that I was able to be on schedule this year compared to the previous two years, which is the greatest source of my current relief.

During the holidays, however, I had something new to anticipate for the first time in a long time.

I was able to meet my girlfriend’s family I’d not met yet while seeing most of those I had met.

It certainly made me remember where I was when I published this in October 2022 and everything that led me to get all those thoughts written and later published.

Even before meeting them, everything I heard about them gave me the impression I wouldn't put her family in the category of obligatory holiday company. After spending some time with them, I am grateful they are not.

They welcomed me with open arms and I really appreciated the hospitality of the ones who hosted the gatherings, while enjoying everyone’s company and conversations. I hope we can see her family more frequently than just the holidays. If not, they are worth the wait.

I am grateful I was able to see my family without any overlap with her family. That's happened in previous relationships and were never fun or easy decisions.