let’s not go home for the holidays

well hello again, readers! it’s been a few weeks, and let’s just say, I’m happy the holidays are behind us. Not because I didn’t have a good holiday or make any happy memories (the most notable being that I got engaged!! holla!), but overall - the holidays in general have just felt so heavy the last few years in particular. If I really think about it, though, there was always a similar heaviness around holidays and perhaps I wasn’t able to pinpoint the cause until now. Don’t get me wrong, I have many special and happy childhood memories, especially when it comes to holidays, birthdays, and family get-togethers. My mom, in particular, always worked so hard to host elaborate parties for our huge family and made it her mission to make these events special. When I say there’s a heaviness, I think so many people get blinded by the tangible parts of holidays and forget the meaning of them all together. It’s the shift in energy when a family member says something that someone else doesn’t like, and now there’s tension. It’s the chaos in getting the house and food and decorations ready before fifty people you don’t really ever talk to come over for this one meal. It’s the twenty questions from these people you only see for these specific gatherings who ask so many meaningless questions because they don’t know anything about you, and it’s not like you’re going to walk away from the conversation changed. You’ll have the same conversation with the same people at the same time, next year. It’s so overstimulating, and despite how much I care about anyone involved, I leave feeling drained. I show up partly because I do love and care about my family members, but I also don’t feel like it’s fair to myself to show up only out of obligation. So what’s the point of putting myself through that? Personally, I’d much rather kick back, order a pizza or make an easy dinner at home and play board games with people that I consistently maintain a relationship with in my normal life. People that energize me, not drain me. Easy-going, stress-free people that are looking for the same outcome as me - peace and laughter. I know so many people will relate to this, and it’s very hard to say no to your family when you’ve grown up as a people pleaser. The reality is, you might get a lot of pushback, some emotional responses, and some people may even cut you off because of it (which is so dramatic). But in 2026, we’re living for us - not for anyone else. That’s my holiday Ted-Talk, thanks for joining! I sincerely hope you have a safe, happy, and healthy new year!!

& most importantly, remember that you don’t owe anyone anything. Your time and energy is valuable. Spend it wisely.

much love,

Cass

I’m already overthinking this.

If you’ve made it here, it means a couple things. One, it means I’ve successfully mustered up the courage to click “publish.” Second, you will now be subjected to random, silly, vulnerable, potentially deep thoughts that buzz around in my brain. Maybe one day I will also be brave enough to share stories about my past in hopes of encouraging readers. Third, and lastly, I have this lovely habit of over-analyzing myself, especially in social settings and speaking about myself in general. So! This is blog will also serve as a little self-challenge and hopefully I no longer struggle with that down the road. Why do you benefit from this? If you choose to make a pit-stop here throughout your day, I hope my little blogs can bring you a laugh, a smile, or simply something you can relate to. I’m so happy you’re here, and I hope you stay. Okay friends, well it’s currently 11:10pm and I need a snack. Bye bye for now!