Your Holiday Is Your Holiday

As we come to the end of the Surviving the Sparkle series, there’s one last thing we want to say — clearly, kindly, and without conditions:

Whatever your holidays look like… they’re okay.

Whether you celebrated big or kept things small.
Whether you leaned in or opted out.
Whether you showed up with energy or showed up quietly — or didn’t show up at all.

Your holiday is your holiday.

There is no gold standard.
No checklist.
No right way to do this season.

💛 One thing to remember

Holidays don’t land the same for everyone.

Some people love the noise, the gatherings, the sparkle.
Some people tolerate it.
Some people endure it.
Some people avoid it altogether.

All of those experiences are valid.

How you move through this season is shaped by your brain, your body, your history, your capacity, and your needs — especially for neurodiverse individuals, including those with FASD.

None of that needs to be justified.

💛 One thing to release

Release the pressure to measure your holidays against anyone else’s.

Against social media.
Against family traditions.
Against past versions of yourself.
Against expectations you didn’t choose.

This season does not need to look joyful to be meaningful.
It does not need to feel peaceful to be real.
It does not need to be anything other than what it is.

🌱 What counts (even if it doesn’t look flashy)

It counts if you:

• protected your energy

• asked for help

• rested more than usual

• changed plans

• said no

• left early

• stayed home

• survived a hard day

• made it through quietly

Those are not small things.
Those are acts of care.

😌 A gentle truth

Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is stop asking yourself whether you’re “doing it right.”

You’re allowed to have a holiday that fits you.
You’re allowed to do this season differently.
You’re allowed to choose what supports your nervous system.

There is no prize for pushing past your limits.

If your holiday involved pajamas, leftovers, naps, fewer plans, or saying “maybe next time” — congratulations.

That’s called self-awareness.
And it’s very in style.

🌟 One last thing

If you’ve taken anything from this series, let it be this:

You are not behind.
You are not broken.
You are not failing the holidays.

You’re just human — with a brain and body that deserve care.

Whatever you’re doing, however you’re doing it, however you made it through — it counts.

And if this season has been heavy, quiet, complicated, or simply something to get through…

💚 We are here. Always.