Reclaiming Christmas does not mean pretending everything is fine.
It does not require cheerfulness, forgiveness, or gratitude for survival.

It means choice.

It means deciding who has access to me, my home, and my time.
It means warmth instead of cold rooms, safety instead of fear, truth instead of silence.
It means quiet if I want quiet—and connection only where there is respect.

Reclaiming Christmas can be simple:
a locked door, a lit candle, a meal eaten in peace, a call with someone who does not punish joy.

This is not about “making the best of it.”
It is about no longer sacrificing myself to keep someone else comfortable.

Christmas now belongs to my nervous system, my dignity, and my future.
And that is enough.