Christmas used to be just another day in my childhood. We didn’t celebrate, except for one year when my brother staged a concert at home with our cousins: dancing, singing, and gifts. It was chaotic and fun, and for a moment it felt like we belonged to something festive. Then it ended. That was our one and only Christmas party.
Years later, I found Christmas again through friends. Their meals, their traditions, and the kindness of being invited in gave it the shape I’d always imagined, even though I still felt like a guest.
In time, I came to understand what sits at the heart of this season: the birth of Jesus Christ. I met a partner who held the same faith, and together we laid a foundation anchored in it. Christmas no longer felt borrowed. It was something I could share with my loved ones, and it finally felt like home.
