Relational Drift
The Holiday Visit
Postponing annual holiday trips. The relational cost of deferred family gatherings.
Family gatherings are easily deferred to future seasons.
We assume the calendar will clear next year and peak travel costs will subside. A full schedule and high-priced flights make travel coordination feel like a chore to be avoided in the moment.
But reducing these annual holiday visits to once every three years from age 30 to 65 means missing twenty-three gatherings across a career.
The shared traditions become distant memories, and family connections gradually thin into short telephone updates.
One visit every two years, not three. 6 holiday visits recovered.
The peak fare was avoided. The chance to sit at the table was lost.