Well Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you Jenni!



For me personally, I have gradually let go of my emotional interest and investment in these holidays (well all holidays really). However I still harbor nostalgic feelings for Christmas time based on memories from my childhood and youth.

I personally do not make an effort to contact all of my family, relatives, and friends to wish them a Merry Christmas or Happy New Year.... For me it is not due to a lack of caring about them, but a loss of emotional interest in these holidays and cultural traditions. If my friends and family/relatives do not contact me, I do not interpret it as a slight or a reflection of them not caring about me. I certainly hope they do not misinterpret my behavior either. There is no ill will on my part nor ill will assumed on my end with regards to them. I can think of different reasons why a person may be inclined to be more reserved and keep to themselves during the holidays.

Jenni my advice to you is please try not to rely on these holiday traditions and cultural practices/expectations as a means for measuring your sense of self-worth in the eyes of others. It's no reliable indication of your value as a person.

Is it possible that you are not feeling very accepting of yourself at this time in your life - and this is making you more inclined to take these current circumstances personally and to interpret them in a way that attempts to validate how you have been feeling?