Yesterday was Diwali and we had a small, tiny celebration at home. Diwali used to be big big BIG in this household. My mom used to set up an altar in our living room and we would invite the whole neighborhood and THEN some.

Over time, we’ve minimized.

And, well, since COVID, we’ve kept it to just the family that’s around.

I had work during the day and bouncing between work, Ishaan, and Nani had me feeling flustered and frazzled for most of the day.

At the end of the evening, we came together for a quick 10-minute pooja.

My family loves pictures.

Maybe a little too much.

But they’re big on posing for pictures. Stopping the moment so they can fix their hair, straighten out their clothes, and flash a big smile at the camera.

I’m big on snapping the photo when nobody is looking.

To preserve the memory of what actually is happening in the moment.

Here’s a picture I snapped from our pooja yesterday evening.

• My mama is wearing a back brace because her grandson is extra clingy and wants her to pick him up all the time. And she DOES it, despite the fact that she’s got a fragile back.
• Ishu joining the pooja in his high chair because none of us had the energy at the end of the day. At least when he’s in his high chair, he has to stay STILL for a few minutes. Ha.

What you don’t see in the picture is:

• Ankur on the Facebook Portal, joining our quick 5-minute pooja from Chicago. Because he was all alone while Ishu and I are out here in California.
• Nani’s cell phone going off because grandkids are calling to wish her.
• The bhajans keep getting interrupted because we’re using my mom’s cell phone to play the songs from YouTube and she keeps getting text messages.
• Me feeling guilty for talking to Nani in a snappy tone. Because she asked why I didn’t call everyone – or at the very least send everyone a text message – to wish them Happy Diwali. (I told her I was working. She told me other people in the family had a job and they made time to do it. And I snapped back saying, “Do they have a toddler they have to take care of simultaneously? NO, they do not.”) This is probably a separate blog post. The guilt put on people for not calling everyone all the freaking time. (As you can see, I’m still feeling a little snarky. But also guilty for being less-than-patient with Nani).

Everyone posts the highlights. We know that.

But there’s a little behind-the-scenes for you.

Celebrations are fun and lovely and wonderful. And they can also be exhausting and overwhelming and add a lot of pressure to do more and be more.

So, during this holiday season, whatever you celebrate, do us a favor and share a little more of the real stuff.

The behind-the-scenes of your Diwali celebration. The fight your kids got in to at the Thanksgiving table. Or the messy aftermath of Christmas morning.

SHARE IT ALL.

Life is messy. And if we are only sharing the posed photos and the curated stories, well…that’s not life.