When you don’t have a consistent place to spend the holidays, you can easily end up in a variety of different places around this time of the year. I’ve celebrated with big families, small families, by myself, and with over 100+ cats at once (via volunteering).
No matter the location or the people present, these are the consistent things I love:
Presents
Let’s be real here. Whether it’s giving or receiving, presents are a huge (enjoyable) part of the holidays. Even my cats get a stocking full of treats and toys! I love coming up with gift ideas for the people I love. If I can sneak a tear out of ya, I did my job right.
Getting to know other people’s families
The absolutely best part about my “holiday hopping” experience is not just the free food I get, but also the opportunity I get to learn more about the people I love. It is an absolutely surreal experience to meet a group of people that look, talk, walk, and act like your friends.
The various traditions between households
From the dinner that is cooked to the hour everyone awakens, every family I’ve spent Christmas with does something a little different than others for a variety of reasons. One of the most common traditions I’ve run into is “open one present before bed on Christmas Eve.” My partner’s family does this, and every year, everyone gets a set of (custom made) matching Christmas Pajamas!
Love
In all seriousness, there’s a lot of love going around Christmas time. The fact that I’ve been able to enjoy the holidays in so many different ways speaks volumes about the loving people around me. They keep inviting me over, after all!
Lisa Lemons is an avid book and video game enthusiast, with a special interest in science fiction and space exploration. She is a programmer by trade, a designer by necessity, and a cat shelter volunteer extraordinaire. You can reach her at Twitter, Google+, and Instagram.
Melanie Noell Bernard 