“I spent Christmas Day staring at Sunset Boulevard, saying to myself, ‘I wish I was back in New Orleans.’ It was my home. And in just 10 years, from that very moment of despair, my husband and I would be welcoming our newborn daughter home. Now, every choice we make revolves around her. Every holiday is about her.”
‘You are our baby!’ We bought an ornament to remember the special day of becoming Daddy and Papa.’: Dad recalls how meaning of Christmas changed after adopting baby
‘Christmas came just 3 months after my ex’s death. That’s when they showed up. My in-laws. They rallied together to help our broken family make new, magical memories.’: In-laws rally to provide kids a Christmas after woman’s ex-husband’s suicide
“It was an ‘all hands-on deck’ type of tragedy. My kids were so young. His parents flew us to Florida. My only job was to get on the plane with the kids. There was absolutely no obligation to love on the ‘ex-wife.’ They could have easily blamed me for their son’s downward spiral into suicide. They could have chosen to hate, curse, and isolate me from their family. But they didn’t.”
‘When I’m out with you, I’m all in. I can dance, wine taste, make small talk. But then I’m done. I have an escape plan.’: Woman explains difficulties of being an ‘extroverted introvert’ during the holiday season
“I really like going out and hanging out with people, but it takes me days to recover from it. I need to lay on the couch to recoup from the mental toll it takes. People exhaust me. When my husband drinks, he becomes an energizer bunny. Me? The more I drink, the more tired I become. Once I hit that wall, there is no turning back. I am done-done-done. I can only be social for a set amount of time. If that time is up, I have an escape plan.”
‘Your daughter will never be more than 2 feet tall.’ My husband and I broke down in tears. ‘…If she survives.’: Mom births baby with rare Thanatophoric Dysplasia, ‘I will never give up on her’
“The news broke me and honestly ruined my pregnancy. I prayed our baby girl would grow, that her little chest would expand to survive this birth. I wanted Paisley to have a life, no matter if it was only for a few seconds or a few years. She deserved the world and I was determined to give it to her.”
‘What makes her think I want to have kids? I’m 32!’ Her eyes bugged out at me. That conversation bothered me for the next 3 years.’: Woman declares she doesn’t want children, ‘You can have a satisfying life without kids’
“I grew up going to church 3 times a week. Every Sunday, I saw women with their children. The husbands were usually away working. I heard the word ‘struggle’ more times than I could count. I watched with curious eyes. If this was to be my life as a grownup, forget it. I wanted something different. I no longer worried ‘the right man’ would appear and voila, a baby would follow.”
‘I’m a teacher, and I’m angry. Then I went to see ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,’ and I don’t know anymore.’: Teacher says Fred Rogers reminded her that ‘grace doesn’t run out, there isn’t a limited supply’
“I’ve been frustrated, tired, and worn out. I have felt walked on, unseen, and undervalued in my place of work, and just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, it did.”
‘They called her ‘Nurse Betty.’ And she loved it. She wasn’t fancy or educated, but she was fierce.’: Granddaughter pens touching tribute to caregiver grandmother
“She left the hospital at one point to run to Walmart. A nurse had just complimented a pair of sandals she was wearing. It was important that my grandma proceed to Walmart immediately to buy her an identical pair. Then she asked about someone who had recently been admitted in the palliative care floor. ‘That’s just terrible. I hope they’re going to be okay,’ she said. This was 72 hours before she passed away.”
‘Let’s keep walking. I see flashing lights over there!’ We tip toe toward the house, set the bag down, ring the doorbell and spring into the night.’: Mom’s act of kindness tradition with her family spreads holiday cheer to unsuspecting neighbors
“Most nights we’re just trying to survive. We rush around, it’s bedtime, and then poof: we do it all again! But not on this night. As we narrow down the options, that’s when the real fun begins. Lucas is the Doorbell Ringer, because he’s so quick on his feet. I hang in the shadows, proudly watching as my little elves make their special delivery. Sometimes we’re still close enough to see the homeowner open the door, but most years we never see their faces.”
‘My anxiety and depression can make me a sh*tty friend, but I’m not sorry.’: Woman thankful for friends who stick around despite mental health struggles
“I don’t choose to struggle with this. I don’t choose to have my thoughts racing all day. I don’t choose to have a war with my mind every day. I don’t choose any of this. For the friends who have stuck around while I cancel plans, go radio silent, and patiently wait until I’m ready to talk, you’re the real ones.”
‘My husband and I, who have become more co-parents than partners, barely spoke as I made an elaborate meal that my children never ate.’: Woman ‘determined to do things differently’ this holiday season
“Marital problems, mental health issues, bankruptcy, miscarriage, family discord—they don’t just disappear because it’s December 25th.”