The festive season can be a joyous time for some people, but for others, it can be a difficult time full of stressful expectations. Here's some food for thought on navigating Christmastime in a different way.

Unfortunately, many families are abusive, not always in the overt way such as violence and aggression, but also in some more insidious ways: frequent unacceptable criticisms, humiliation, contempt, shaming, etc. If this is your family, it is OK to decline another Christmas with them because it can make your mental health worse. You can find good friends—also called “chosen family," or people who actually care about you and love you just as you are—to spend Christmas with. Alternatively, it is also OK to spend Christmas on your own. In our society, there is an assumption that spending Christmas on our own is very........

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