Pearson’s entire extended family at Thanksgiving last week.

All the cousins on my dad’s side of the family at Christmas last year. (Yes, I wore the same sweater last week on Thanksgiving in the first picture… Oops)

A panoramic picture of everyone at my Nana’s in Arkansas at Thanksgiving last year.

I love being married. And I especially love being married during the holidays. But one of the hardest things that I’ve experienced in our marriage so far is splitting up holiday time between families. I am a people-pleaser so this sort of thing has always been a big problem for me, but I’m sure most of the problem is simply in my head.

Actually, I’ve gotten a lot better. I used to stress out about this a lot more than I do now because I’ve learned a few things that make it less stressful these days. So I thought I’d share what I’ve learned…

• It’s not worth getting worked up about. I used to dread splitting time up so much that I didn’t even enjoy the holidays. I was just too stressed. But it’s so not worth that!
• Your families still love you no matter what. Some people might get their feelings hurt, but they still love you and deep down they understand, trust me.
• They most likely don’t care as much as you’re imagining them to. Really, my mom and my mother-in-law are both pretty easy going and I know (rationally) that they don’t care near as much as I always imagine them to.
• Just be as fair as possible and forget the rest. You can only do so much. And, like I said earlier, your family should understand.
• All that really matters is that you’re with people who love you and they know you love them too. Am I right?