The holiday season can be a complex and challenging time for many people. While the images of joyful gatherings and shared celebrations dominate our cultural expectations, the reality is that not everyone experiences this time of year as merry. Some families face fractures—individuals who choose to disconnect entirely, declining to participate in family celebrations or even maintaining year-round distance. At its most extreme, this can take the form of ghosting, where someone severs ties completely with parents, siblings, or extended …
my grandson, myself, and my son at Thanksgiving 2024 The week of Thanksgiving has always been my favorite of the year. One of the best things is the week of birthdays in my family. I was born on Thanksgiving, November 28, and my dad was born on November 25. Thanksgiving gatherings were when we celebrated our birthdays together. Every year my father would tell the story of how, when he was serving in Iran during World War II, he …