Featured On XO Marriage: Holidays as a Blended Family

We learned a thing or two from that season (and subsequent ones), and that experience has helped us navigate the holidays better.
Scott & Vanessa Martindale

The holiday season is such an exciting time for many of us as we gather with family and friends, sit at the table, share meals together, and reflect on memories and experiences from years past. However, the holidays can look quite different for those of us who have lost loved ones, who are single parents, who are part of a blended family. Major life transitions and changes can prevent us from being together with those we love.

If you are a single parent or have recently become a blended family, you might be wondering what to expect with the “first” holidays in your new life setting. What will Christmas be like now that we are a blended family? Or now that I’m a single parent? In our experience, holidays have their ups and downs.

Scott and I married in November 2013, and shortly afterward we went straight into the holiday season, where we experienced our first Thanksgiving and Christmas together as a blended family. What we thought was going to be “the most wonderful time of the year” turned into something far from that. We were trying to navigate married life, blended family life, and the holidays all at once. We did not set ourselves up for success!

Read More on XO Marriage: https://xomarriage.com/articles/holidays-as-a-blended-family/