How to Talk to Friends About Celebrating Holidays Together

Friendship IRL

I sobbed in the car about the holidays this week – but not for reasons you might think.

Here’s what made me emotional: I am so grateful and excited for the ways we are celebrating our holidays this year. It could not be further from the reasons I’ve car sobbed in years past.

Some of you are already excited about the holidays, and I love that for you. But that is not everyone’s experience, and for years, it was not mine. There was a period in my 20s when my partner Michael literally called me the Grinch. Holidays are often reserved for families – so where does that leave those of us who don’t have strong familial ties or want something different?

This episode is about how to create holiday traditions with your friends that feel GOOD, with practical advice on how to initiate these conversations and get the ball moving, with the hope that you too will dream up and work toward your own ideal celebrations, too.

In this episode you’ll hear about:

• My personal relationship and evolution with the holiday season, from being the Grinch to crying in the car out of happiness for my holiday plans
• What I was looking for in my holidays, including togetherness, connection, and splitting the burden of the magic making
• The societal normals that often limit holiday options to family gatherings or solitude, and the third option I’m proposing: holidays with friends
• Initiating conversations with friends about getting together for the holidays – which often involves a little vulnerability
• The importance of patience and openness in creating new holiday traditions with friends

Resources & Links

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Want to take this conversation a step further? Send this episode to a friend. Tell them you found it interesting and use what we just talked about as a conversation starter the next time you and your friend hang out!