Christmas without family
Christmas as an adult feels so different. The magic I remember feels buried under financial stress, exhaustion, and a mind that never seems to get a break. I miss my parents so deeply this time of year — they loved Christmas, and they were the spirit of it for me. The warmth, the safety, the feeling that everything would be okay. I find myself wishing I could go back to that time, even just for a moment, but that chapter is gone. All that’s left is the memory, and the ache of missing it.