Decolonizing the Holiday Season: Reclaiming Joy, Rest, and Meaning
For many of us, the holiday season comes wrapped in huge expectations—shopping lists, gift exchanges, nonstop spending, and the pressure to create a “perfect” holiday experience. But so much of what we’ve been taught about the holidays is rooted in capitalism, urgency, comparison, and standards that often have little to do with our actual values, culture, or emotional capacity.
This year, I want to offer a different invitation: What would it look like to decolonize your holiday season?
Before we can explore that question, it helps to name what colonization actually means. “Colonization refers to the behavioral, psychological, institutional, political, spiritual, interpersonal, and economical methods that have exploited and oppressed Indigenous peoples globally–historically and present day.”
To step outside of the pressure to perform, purchase, or participate in everything—and instead move toward practices that truly nourish your spirit, your community, and your sense of belonging.
Decolonizing the holidays is not about rejecting celebration. It’s about reclaiming your right to celebrate in ways that feel authentic, grounded, and meaningful.
✨ You Don’t Have to Participate in the Capitalism of the Holidays
Everywhere we turn, we’re encouraged to buy more, spend more, and equate love with price tags. But the truth is:
You don’t have to spend money you don’t have.
You don’t have to give gifts to prove your love.
You don’t have to keep up with traditions that drain your energy or overwhelm your finances.
Capitalism thrives on urgency and scarcity—convincing us that if we don’t participate, we’re missing out. But your worth is not tied to what you can buy. Your presence holds far more value than any present.
Imagine what could shift if the holiday season wasn’t centered around consumerism, but around connection, rest, gratitude, and community care.
✨ You Can Create Your Own Rituals and Traditions
Many of us grew up with holiday traditions shaped by culture, faith, family, or colonized narratives that don’t fully reflect who we are today. As adults, especially for those healing, grieving, or navigating complex family dynamics, it’s important to remember:
You get to create rituals that honor where you are now. That might look like:
Gathering with chosen family
Sharing a meal instead of exchanging gifts
Hosting a reflection night or gratitude circle
Engaging in activism, volunteering, or community service
Taking a quiet day for rest and restoration
Incorporating spiritual practices
Simplifying the entire season
You can hold on to what feels meaningful and release what does not. Tradition is not about perfection—it’s about intention.
✨ Honoring Faith, Family, and Community in a Way That Feels Freeing
For those who celebrate faith-based holidays, the season may hold deep spiritual meaning—far beyond shopping or aesthetics. Returning to the core of these celebrations can bring a sense of grounding, purpose, and peace. You might choose to focus on:
Prayer, meditation, or worship
Reflecting on the spiritual lessons of the season
Spending unrushed time with loved ones or in solitude
Simple gatherings that celebrate gratitude, joy, and connection
You do not need excess to experience abundance. You do not need some grand gesture to experience joy. You do not need to perform celebration to feel connected to your faith or your community.
✨ Giving Yourself Permission to Slow Down
Decolonizing the holidays also means reclaiming your time, energy, and nervous system. You’re allowed to choose rest over rush, slowness over stress, and presence over productivity.
Ask yourself:
What do I truly want from this season?
What does my body need?
Where can I say “no” with love?
What would feel grounding, peaceful, or joyful for me?
Your holiday season does not need to look like anyone else’s. It only needs to feel true to you.
✨ A Liberated Holiday Season Is Possible
Imagine a holiday season marked by:
🥱 Rest instead of exhaustion
✔️ Presence instead of performance
🤝 Community instead of comparison
🛍️ Meaning instead of materialism
🦋 Intention instead of obligation
That is what decolonizing the holidays offers us—a return to what true. A chance to celebrate in ways that align with our values, our culture, our faith, and our emotional capacity. This season offers a chance to redefine what this season mean, to choose joy that doesn’t require overspending and to honor your traditions—or create new ones. Most of all, you are allowed to show up in ways that feel liberating and healing.
Take what serves you from this reflection and leave the rest. And if you find yourself wanting additional support this season—whether individually, in community, or through guided workshops—we welcome you to connect with Melanated Healing.
