I love Christmas.
I love the lights, the spirit, the music, the smell of the seasonal foods, the rituals repeated year after year. I love seeing my children’s eyes sparkle, I love creating memories, I love the feeling of a house full of Christmas decorations.
Christmas, for me, is love.
But it’s also true that Christmas is a time when I lose control more.
And the two things can coexist.
For many years I thought that, because I love this time of year so much, I shouldn’t feel any difficulty. That something was wrong with me because, precisely at Christmas, I more easily lose my balance. As if loving Christmas made me immune to what it awakens.
The truth is that Christmas affects me.
It’s not just food. It’s emotion. It’s memory. It’s expectation. It’s tiredness. It’s feeling the absence of those who are no longer on this plane. It’s everything together.
And when everything intensifies, what is already fragile within us tends to surface.
Moreover, at Christmas, my professional life becomes much more hectic. The pace accelerates, the demands increase, and the space for rest diminishes. My body accumulates fatigue, my mind doesn’t slow down.
When this happens, food often appears as a quick refuge. Not because it’s wrong—but because, at that moment, it’s what’s available. It’s immediate comfort when everything inside me is already strained.
Today I try to look at these moments with more compassion.
The lack of control is not a failure. It’s not a lack of strength. It’s a sign.
A sign that something in me needs attention, rest, presence, or boundaries.
And that doesn’t erase the love I feel for Christmas.
I don’t make promises of perfection. I’ve learned that they only generate more pressure.
What I’ve learned is to observe myself without attacking myself, to rest before I’m exhausted, to allow pleasure without punishment, and to accept that some days are simply more difficult.
Christmas doesn’t need to be a test of my strength.
It can simply be what it is: human.
And if you love Christmas, but feel it’s a time when everything becomes more intense, I want you to know this: you’re not alone.
It’s possible to love this time of year and, at the same time, acknowledge the challenges it brings. Both can coexist, without guilt or shame.
✨
