Letters to You: December 21, 2025
When You're Drowning in Everyone Else's Needs
Dear You (with all the shit to do),
It’s December 21st and I’ll bet you haven’t stopped moving since Thanksgiving.
Shopping, wrapping, cooking, cleaning, coordinating, hosting, traveling, managing everyone else’s expectations and emotions and schedules. Making sure everyone else has what they need for the perfect holiday.
When was the last time you asked yourself what YOU need?
I’m guessing the answer is “I can’t even remember” or “I don’t have time to think about that right now.”
Women’s stress skyrockets during the holidays because we’re expected to maintain most of the traditions while keeping up with endless lists and still showing up as partners, daughters, friends, and mothers. It’s a lot. And often, it’s too much.
But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. The cookies don’t need to look like Pinterest. The wrapping paper doesn’t have to match. The kids won’t remember whether the table centerpiece was just right. They’ll remember how you laughed with them, how you sat down with them, how you let yourself be present.
So this week, I want to invite you to step off the hamster wheel just for a moment. Place your hands on your belly, take a slow breath, and ask: what do I need today? Not what everyone else needs. Just you.
Maybe it’s five minutes of quiet before the house wakes up. Maybe it’s saying no to one more obligation. Maybe it’s choosing a walk over another errand. Maybe it’s letting someone else take a turn.
Because when you pause, even just briefly, you remind yourself that you’re not just the maker of holidays. You are a human who deserves peace, rest, and joy, too.
This season, may you find little anchors of breath, little sparks of joy, and the courage to give yourself permission to let some things go. That’s the heart of moving well and living often: not squeezing more in, but choosing what matters most.
And if you’re tired? You’re not alone. If you’re stretched thin? You’re not alone. I’m right there with you, breathing through it, finding small ways back to center.
Show up for YOU this week. Give yourself the gift of letting a few “fucks” go.
Happy Holidays and thanks for being here!
