Life After Christmas

The holiday season in our household is always a whirlwind of excitement. With their boundless energy, the children count down the days, eagerly marking their advent calendars, while my wife and I juggle work, shopping, and an endless list of preparations. The tree stands tall in the living room, adorned with mismatched ornaments collected over the years, each one carrying a story. On Christmas morning, the joy on my kids' faces as they tear into their presents feels like a reward for the months of effort and planning.

But beneath the surface of all this joy lies an invisible weight. The pressure to meet expectations—those of my children, my spouse, and even my own—is relentless. Every gift needs to be "just right," every meal "perfect," and every moment a picture-worthy memory. Society paints this image of the ideal Christmas; every year, we scramble to live up to it.