Family Reunion Under the Christmas Tree: Navigating Holidays and Healthy Living

While working on my engineering project during the EGS lab I met Alexei who wasn’t even in my class, but still somehow managed to attend and has given me consent to use his images and statements. Alexei is a 19 year old Engineering student like me and I only had a small window of time to actually meet him since he was heading out of the city for the holidays. In return for helping 3D print his engineering project, he agreed to be the voice in my photovoice project.

“Christmas is very important to my family because we rarely get to see one another due to our busy daily lives. So, holidays are very important to my family because it is the few times a year where we are all able to see each other at once. It is very difficult for my entire family to gather at one place and time because I have my parents, 2 brothers, 2 sisters, 1 brother-in-law, 2 sisters-in-law, one niece and two nephews. So, holidays, Especially Christmas, are very difficult for us to plan but are also very important to us.” – Alexei

In the midst of their hectic lives, Alexei’s poignant perspective on the meaning of Christmas for his family highlights the difficulties, but more importantly the value of spending time together. The main point of his narrative is that his large family has conflicting and busy schedules leading to family get-togethers being less common. When everyone can be together in one location for Christmas, including parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces, and nephews, it becomes quite the special occasion. A layer of complication that all families have to cope with is the challenge of organizing such a get together.  Along with stressing the unique dynamics of their family structure, Alexei also highlighted the difficulties in bringing everyone together while avoiding potential conflicts that may arise within such as discussions about politics or even the topic of past conflicts. All in all, Alexei’s story illustrates the pleasures and challenges of family gatherings, particularly around the holidays.

“In the past year my Dad started to work on his health by going to the gym and eating healthy due to his heart condition. So, eating healthy and attending the gym have become very important in our lives due to my Dad. I actually started going to the gym with my Dad so he could train me. So, eating healthy is very important to my family.”  – Alexei

Over the recent year, a pivotal shift occurred in Alexei’s family dynamics as their focus shifted toward prioritizing health, driven by his father’s proactive efforts after learning about his heart condition. Motivated by his father, Alexei embarked on a fitness journey, emphasizing regular gym sessions and a commitment to healthy eating. This newfound emphasis on well-being has permeated Alexei’s family life, with a shared dedication to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. One person taking initiative in the family can really be all it takes to have the family as a whole change their lifestyle. The familial support extends to personal involvement, as Alexei started accompanying his dad to the gym, forging a unique father-son fitness bond. Alexei’s account portrays the significance of health-conscious choices becoming a cornerstone in their family values and lifestyle.

“Me and Mom love things like camping, hiking, and a lot of other outdoor activities. During my freshman year of high school, during the Covid Quarantine, my parents and I actually went on a 3-week camping trip throughout west America with some of my cousins. It is one of my favorite memories of all time because of my love for the outdoors. So, Mountains are very important to me, because it is one of the things that me and my mom bond over.”  – Alexei

Alexei demonstrates a strong connection to the outdoors, sharing a love of camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities with his mother. The COVID quarantine during his freshman year of high school resulted in a fantastic three-week camping trip throughout the western United States with both parents and several relatives. This outdoor experience is one of Alexei’s all-time favorite recollections, demonstrating his deep passion for nature. Mountains are significant in his life for reasons other than their physical appearance; they represent a profound relationship between Alexei and his mother. This story emphasizes the value of shared outdoor activities in strengthening household bonds and generating lasting memories.

After analyzing the narratives and photographs shared by Alexei, a thematic focus emerged of the multifaceted aspects of his life, diverging from conventional perceptions. Alexei’s portrayal of how living healthily can be a struggle, which most people would just oversee, became a positive outlook for family bonding. What really stuck out to me was his experiences in nature such as “camping, hiking, and a lot of other outdoor activities”. One reading from the class which really stuck out to me was how “Inequality promotes deforestation in Latin America” by the University of Bern, which exemplifies how privileged we are as a country to be able to experience nature freely. Underdeveloped countries utilize techniques such as clear cutting to maintain their quotas while more first world countries have the technology to better preserve their forests while still having a high rate of production. In summation, I hope Alexei’s perspective was enlightening, and that it might help broaden our understanding of the diverse narratives within our communities. By sharing some of the intricacies of his life, Alexei encourages us to look beyond surface-level assumptions and appreciate the hidden layers that can contribute to the tapestry of human experiences. By doing so, we can collectively move towards a more nuanced and inclusive appreciation of the myriad stories that shape our shared existence.