A Different Kind of December: What This Holiday Season Looks Like for Military Families
There’s a familiar picture of the holidays: families gathered around full tables, traditions that look the same year after year, and the idea of returning to a single place called home.
For most military families, December rarely looks that way.
Some years, you’re solo parenting through a deployment.
Some years, you’re celebrating in base housing far from everyone you grew up with.
Some years, you’re eating takeout on moving boxes because your PCS landed right before winter break.
And sometimes, even with people around you, the season feels quieter and heavier than you expected.
The truth is that military families carry more in December. There are more logistics, more emotions, and more pressure to create normalcy for your kids even when nothing about your life is predictable. These are not holiday problems. They’re the everyday realities of military life that tend to sharpen under the glow of the season.
When Home Keeps Changing, You Learn to Build It Where You Stand
If you’ve ever decorated a tree in temporary lodging, organized a unit potluck because travel wasn’t possible, or stayed up late on FaceTime just to feel close across time zones, then you’ve learned something many families never have to consider.
You’ve learned how to make a home while life is in motion.
Perhaps this season finds your military family in limbo between duty stations. Maybe you’re helping your military kid adjust to a new school right before winter break. Maybe you’re trying your best to hold on to holiday traditions while your service member is deployed or in training.
None of this means you’re falling short. You’re just trying to create some steadiness in a life that rarely stands still. It means you’re leading with your heart through circumstances that ask more of you than most people will ever see.
Three Universal Truths About December in Military Life
Even though every holiday will likely look a little different for your military family, there are a few truths that almost always hold steady across moves, deployments, and new duty stations.
- Your traditions don’t have to mirror anyone else’s traditions.
Maybe you recreate the holidays exactly as you remember. Maybe you improvise with what you have on hand. Both are valid and hold meaning. People remember how they felt, not whether the moment was perfect. - Belonging isn’t tied to geography.
Connection travels with you. It lives in conversations over cocoa, neighbors who become like family, and communities that show up for you no matter where the map takes you. - It’s okay if this season feels mixed.
Joy can sit beside loneliness. Gratitude can sit beside exhaustion. There’s nothing wrong with the complexity you carry at any time of the year, including the holidays. Military life often makes room for both.
Tell Us What This Holiday Season Looks Like for Your Family
Military families often tell us about settling into new schools, rebuilding stability after a move, balancing work and childcare, or trying to pursue personal goals in a life shaped by constant transitions. These stories reflect what this season often brings: a mix of joy, strain, hope, and the ongoing work of creating a home wherever you are.
At NMFA, these lived experiences guide everything we do. Your voice helps us understand what military families are truly carrying, and it strengthens the work happening across the community. Your stories help shape how we support military kids and teens, how we open educational doors for spouses, and how we advocate for policies that strengthen family well-being. Our work begins with listening to families like yours.
Share your story with us below. Tell us what your holiday season looks like this year, whether you are celebrating somewhere familiar, navigating a move, or creating new traditions that hold meaning for your military family.
By: Olivia Brinsfield, Content Manager
