Why This Holiday Season Can Be Different (Because You Are Different)

Same family, different holiday, same triggers?

December family gatherings can feel like Thanksgiving all over again - the same dynamics, the same comments, the same energy drains.

Your uncle still makes inappropriate jokes. Your sister still treats you like you're twelve. Your mom still criticizes your choices. Your dad still drinks too much at family events.

But here's what I want you to remember: You've grown since last month.

You're Not the Same Person You Were in November

Even though it's only been a few weeks, you've been doing the work. You've been clearing patterns, setting boundaries, and becoming more aware of your triggers.

Maybe you:

• Learned to set a boundary you didn't have before

• Cleared a trigger that used to send you spiraling

• Discovered you don't have to absorb everyone else's stress to be loving

• Practiced staying centered when chaos swirled around you

• Released an old family pattern that's been running for years

If you're feeling anxious about upcoming holiday gatherings, try this clearing: Family Karma Clearing Session - This helps you approach family time from your growth rather than your old patterns.

The Difference Between Managing and Transforming

Most holiday advice focuses on managing difficult family dynamics: Don't take things personally, set boundaries, have an exit strategy.

All of this is helpful, but there's a deeper level available to you now.

When you've been doing clearing work, you're not just managing the same old triggers - you're actually transforming your relationship to them.

Managing looks like: "I'll try not to let my mom's criticism bother me."

Transforming looks like: "My mom's criticism doesn't create the same charge in me anymore because I've cleared my need for her approval."

For clearing the need for family approval: Choose to be Happy - Clear Out Negative Thoughts - This helps you find your own validation instead of seeking it from family.

Showing Up as Who You've Become

The goal isn't to have a perfect, drama-free holiday. Family systems are complex, and people don't change overnight (if at all).

The goal is to show up as the person you've become, not the person you used to be.

This might look like:

• Staying calm when someone tries to push your buttons

• Setting boundaries without feeling guilty

• Not taking responsibility for other people's emotions

• Responding from your center instead of reacting from old wounds

• Maintaining your peace even when others are chaotic

Additional support for staying centered: Clear Stress - This helps you maintain your equilibrium during challenging interactions.

The Test of Your Growth

Family gatherings are like final exams for your personal growth work. They test whether you've really integrated what you've been learning or if you just understand it intellectually.

Old you might have:

• Gotten defensive when criticized

• Felt responsible for everyone's happiness

• Absorbed the family's stress and anxiety

• Reverted to childhood roles and patterns

• Left feeling drained and triggered

New you might:

• Stay centered when others are reactive

• Maintain your boundaries with love

• Feel compassion without taking on their problems

• Show up as the adult you are now

• Leave with your peace intact

For maintaining your growth during family time: Create More Harmony in Relationships - Energy Clearing - This helps you stay in your power while remaining loving.

When Family Members Resist Your Growth

Sometimes when you show up differently, family members might actually escalate their behavior to try to get the old reaction from you.

This is normal. Family systems have an investment in keeping everyone in their familiar roles.

When you don't play your old part in the family drama, it forces everyone else to look at their own patterns - and not everyone is ready for that.

Stay centered in your growth:

• You're not responsible for their comfort with your changes

• Your healing benefits the whole family system, even if they resist it

• You can be loving without reverting to old patterns

• Your transformation gives others permission to grow too (when they're ready)

Practical Strategies for Holiday Success

Before gatherings:

• Review how much you've grown since last time

• Set intentions for how you want to show up

• Clear any anticipatory anxiety or old triggers

• Remember: You have tools now that you didn't have before

During gatherings:

• Take breaks to reset your energy when needed

• Use your clearing techniques if old patterns try to activate

• Stay connected to who you are now, not who you used to be

• Practice responding from your growth instead of reacting from old wounds

After gatherings:

• Acknowledge yourself for showing up differently

• Clear any energy you absorbed that isn't yours

• Integrate any insights or growth that occurred

• Celebrate the progress you've made

For ongoing support: Energy Clearing to Release the Old and Welcome the New - This helps you continue evolving beyond old family patterns.

Your Assignment

This holiday season, instead of dreading family time, approach it as an opportunity to practice being who you've become.

You're not the same person who walked into last year's holiday gatherings. You have more tools, more awareness, more choice in how you respond.

What if this holiday season could be different because YOU are different?

The goal isn't perfection. The goal is showing up as the person you are now, not the person you used to be.

Want to learn how to do this work yourself? Check out my Eraser Method™ training or schedule a free 15-minute call to see if we can work together one-on-one.