In this week’s Trail Talks episode, we unwrap something almost all of us carry around during the holidays: the Holiday Manual — that invisible rulebook we expect other people to follow… even though we never actually tell them.
We dive into:
🧠 Why our brains create expectations in the first place
💬 How unspoken “manuals” shape our relationships and stress
✨ When expectations cross the line into disrespect — and why the Golden Rule always wins
📘 The difference between healthy standards and secret demands
🌟 Five simple tools to ditch the manual and enjoy the season with more connection
Then for the detour: my cousin Jill joins us with the hilarious story of the year her kids opened every single Christmas present without her 🤣🎁 — and we wrap things up by tier-ranking holiday movies.
Whether you love the holidays, dread them, or sit somewhere in between, this episode brings perspective, laughter, and the freedom to rewrite your own manual.
