Why spending Christmas alone this year is the healthiest thing I can do for my faith

Writer Tabby Kibugi reflects on her decision to spend the holidays by herself for the first time. Drawing on her experience as a Black eldest daughter raised in a traditional African Christian household, she explores how choosing rest over expectation has become an act of spiritual preservation.

For the first time in my life this year, I’ll be spending Christmas completely on my own. I’m a Christian woman who was raised in a traditional African household, and as the eldest daughter where most responsibilities fell on me, this feels long overdue. Every December, people all over the world return home to spend precious time with their loved ones. They buy Christmas gifts for their family, go home, kick their feet up, and reflect on the past year and the one to come. But this is not the reality for many Black women like me.