Holidays can be isolating if there's no family to spend them with. However, friends can step in to fill that gap.
Reddit user Hopeful-Jellyfish-13 had spent many Thanksgivings with her longtime group of close friends. It was a tradition she always looked forward to. But this year, she didn't sit down at the table.
After arriving at her cousin's home, the woman realized her closest people had purposefully lied to her about the dress code to get back at her for constantly outshining them—something she didn't even know they felt.
It's hard to get through the holidays without any stress
Image credits: seventyfourimages / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
But this woman may have even lost her "friends" over Thanksgiving
Image credits: Victoria Romulo / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Karola G / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: 琎达 黄 / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Daniel Martinez / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Hopeful-Jellyfish-13
Many Americans include friends in their Thanksgiving plans
Earlier this month, a YouGov poll asked Americans about their plans for the holiday, and nearly all (86%) said they're celebrating Thanksgiving this year. Eighteen percent planned to travel for the holiday, and 65% did not.
About one-third (35%) planned to celebrate at a family member's home, and smaller shares planned to stay at the home of one of their partner's family members (5%), at a friend's home (5%), at a restaurant (4%), or somewhere else (2%).
Three-quarters (75%) of Americans said their Thanksgiving celebration includes at least one family member, and 31% said it includes a friend.
Losing friends is part of life
Licensed social worker Kristin A. Meekhof says she, too, has experienced some "friends" throwing slight jabs her way. At first, Meekhof dismissed their comments as a result of them having a bad day, but over time, she realized those individuals were actually jealous of her relationships and access to certain social circles.
We can't control how other people feel about us, but we can choose how to respond to their betrayal. Meekhof offers three ways to cope with jealous "friends":
It seems that our Redditor has realized some of the people want to undermine her, but she's still figuring out how to deal with them—hopefully, she finds a way forward that protects her boundaries and her peace of mind.
Many people who read the woman's story said she had every right to leave
Some, however, thought everyone involved could've handled the situation better—including her
And a few even blamed her for the drama
