Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

Tell us about your ‘chosen family’ | Opinion

Not all of us can spend the holidays with our actual families. Tell us how you have formed a “chosen family,” and what they mean to you.

Who is your chosen family?
Who is your chosen family?Read moreCynthia Greer/Staff (custom credit)

Holidays are often considered to be all about family. But many of us don’t spend holidays with our families of origin, for many different reasons. You may live too far away, or may be estranged from family members, making holiday gatherings too complicated or too painful.

The old saying goes that you can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends. So tell us — how have you gathered a “chosen family” for yourself?

Some questions to consider include: Who is your chosen family, and how did you find them? When did you realize they had become people you would consider “family?” What role does this chosen family play in your life that your family of origin did or does not?

Share your reflections with us in the form below for possible inclusion in an upcoming article.