The Friendship Shift: Navigating the Holidays as Grown Women
- KOunscripted
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
By K & O of KO Unscripted
Remember when “holiday plans with friends” meant matching outfits, Christmas cocktails, and late-night Target runs for wrapping paper? Now it’s coordinating calendars between school parties, sports schedules, and in-laws who all claim Christmas Eve as their holiday.
Welcome to the season of “we should get together soon!” — where intentions are high, energy is low, and the group chat is basically a graveyard of unconfirmed plans.
When Friendship Meets the Holiday Hustle
Adult friendships during the holidays hit different.Everyone’s stretched thin, juggling all the things, and still trying to appear like they have it together. You start to realize it’s not that people don’t care — it’s that we’re all just surviving in sparkly chaos.
And yet… you miss your people.The easy hangouts. The laughter over burnt cookies. The wine nights that turned into therapy sessions.
The New Holiday Friendship Rules
Stop Taking Rain Checks PersonallyIf your friend cancels plans, it’s not rejection — it’s self-preservation. We’re all one missed nap or forgotten costume away from a meltdown. Give grace (and take it when it’s your turn).
Plan “Low Effort” TimeCoffee in leggings. Walks with hot cocoa. Grocery store runs together. Friendship doesn’t always need a full event planner — it just needs connection.
Text Like It Matters (Because It Does)A simple “thinking of you” text can mean more than any gift under the tree. Keep those threads of connection alive, even when life’s loud.
Ditch the Guilt GiftsYou don’t owe your friends a perfect present. What they really want? Your time, your laughter, and maybe a meme that says, “This is us.”
The KO Truth
The holidays shift how we show up for our friends — but they don’t erase the bond. Sometimes friendship looks like a weekend getaway; other times it’s voice notes between carpool lines.
So here’s to the women who get it.Who love each other through the chaos.Who send “I miss you” texts instead of gift baskets.
Because the real gift of the season? Friends who stay — even when life gets messy.
XO,
K+O
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