Everyone wants to perform a perfect Christmas. Social media is filled with images of families laughing, perfect meals, perfect moments, everyone looking beautiful and happy and unified. It's a lie, of course. Almost all of it is a lie. And I'm done participating in that particular performance. 🎭

This Christmas, I'm not going to smile for a photo when I'm not feeling it. I'm not going to pretend that family dynamics are smooth when they're complicated. I'm not going to perform gratitude I don't feel or joy I'm not experiencing. I'm not going to hide the real story behind a glossy image. 💫

There's a person in my life who suggested we "keep things light" this Christmas for the sake of family harmony. What they actually meant was: don't tell the truth about what happened. Don't bring up the hurt. Don't be difficult. Perform normalcy so that everyone can feel comfortable. And I thought: no. Absolutely not. 🕯️

Real love can hold hard truths. Real family can acknowledge pain and still be together. Real Christmas means showing up as yourself—messy, complicated, uncertain—instead of as the character you think you're supposed to be. If the relationships fall apart when honesty is introduced, then they weren't real to begin with. ✨

This year I'm celebrating Christmas differently. I'm having a quiet day. I'm saying no to events that require performance. I'm spending time with people who don't need me to be different, better, happier, or more put-together than I actually am. I'm reading by candlelight. I'm sitting with my own thoughts. I'm being honest about what this season means to me: it's not magical, it's not transformative, it's just another day that the world has decided should be special. 💙

But here's what I'm grateful for: the freedom to stop pretending. The strength to be real even when it disappoints people. The clarity to know that my peace is more important than anyone else's comfort with my honesty. 🌟

Is it lonely sometimes, choosing truth over connection? Yes. But is it better than the slow death of pretending? Absolutely. 🎄