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For Some Families, The Holidays Bring A Melancholy Feeling

You notice it when you catch your mom staring down at her phone, waiting for her dad to call.

Shanna Mais

Dec 18, 2017

Michigan State University

For Some Families, The Holidays Bring A Melancholy Feeling

healdove.com

As much as I love the holiday season, it always seems to bring a melancholy feeling for my family and me. Pictures shared on Facebook and Instagram show a family filled with generations.

It stings a little bit to see those. I always remember Christmas with my grandparents, dressing up with my cousins, and getting drunk off all the happiness a 12-year-old girl can feel. Christmas hasn't felt like that in years. My junior year of high school, the only grandparents I had, passed away 18 hours apart, a few months before Christmas. It was the toughest for my mom and her siblings.

Since then, the holidays always feel like they are missing something. A call from my grandpa asking what I got for Christmas and asking me if I was a better driver yet (not yet, whoops). Driving to see my grandma and my entire family. A day filled with treats, love, and times you didn't know you should appreciate more.

I guess this is just a PSA; to those who haven't experienced a loss like that yet, it makes the holidays weird. You notice it when you look at your parents' faces as they think about the holidays when they were kids. You notice it when you catch your parents looking down at the phone, waiting for their parents to call them. The holidays can be sensitive to so many families out there.

And as much joy as they are supposed to bring, it can also bring a world of sadness to those who only want their loved ones back.

It's a hard feeling to describe. A time that is supposed to be so happy and full of magic can also feel so sad. There's a constant void at every family party now, but it's also made us more aware. We cherish each other more, I hold my sisters tighter, and tell my parents that I love them often. It takes a long time to heal from loss, but the holidays always seem to reverse that healing.

All you want to do is hug them one more time, tell them that you love them, and hold their hand as they tell you a story about their childhood. Hold your loved ones close during the holidays, whether it's a friend, your sister, or your cousin. Be aware this holiday season, that not every family is whole. Make sure to spread love and happiness everywhere you go.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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For Some Families, The Holidays Bring A Melancholy Feeling

You notice it when you catch your mom staring down at her phone, waiting for her dad to call.

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The struggles of having an RBF are all too real

1. People asking if you're mad at them.

2. Those people who hand out flyers don't always try to stop you.

3. Creepy guys telling you to smile.

4. "I thought you were a bitch when I first met you."

5. People telling you you'd be "so much prettier if you smiled."

6. Doing your makeup and looking great, which somehow intensifies the bitch face.

7. Regularly explaining "it's just my face."

We all go through certain stages when we have a crush, Tina just explains it better.

That moment that someone you never looked twice at suddenly makes you do a double take out of no where.

But you can't have a crush, that's outrageous. It's all in your head.

Because you don't have a crush, there's no reason to tell anyone about anything. Right?

But then they do something irresistible and you start to lose it.

Now accepting the fact you have a crush, you have to keep it under control.

Then there's the part where you tell your friends who will claim they called it.

They'll be excited and cheer you on. That's until they realize that your crush is all you'll be talking about.

Your obsession has become so bad, that your Facebook stalking is getting out of control.

But your friends will try and help move things along any way they can. That doesn't mean it will be any helpful though.

As time goes on, you start having fantasies about the two of you and it's starting to scare you a little.

You can't focus on anything because all your attention is on them and everything they do.

Anybody who comes near your crush is now an enemy, and you are willing to fight for your crush.

When you see them, you act like an idiot. Trying to hide your feelings may not be as discrete as you think.

Keeping your feelings inside will start to be harder and harder until you can't keep it inside anymore.

Who knows, maybe it will work out? Take a chance.

Everybody hurts sometimes.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

What about those of us who don't do it all in four years?

1. You feel like an elder.

2. You may feel lonely.

3. Senioritis is more real than ever.

4. You may feel a little down sometimes.

5. Fear of missing out won't be as real.

6. You are a college pro.

7. You'll have more free time.

8. You're happy you're still in school.

9. You feel like a guru.

10. You continue to grow.

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