When a Late Christmas Celebration Pushed Me to Do More

Last evening, I volunteered as a committee member at a Christmas celebration service held by a professional community I’m actually part of. For an immensely introverted person like me, this was huge. Career-defining, even.

The first few hours weren’t easy. I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of strangers around me. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, while I was there just… sitting. Existing.

For your information, I was assigned to the consumption division—and my teammates were laaate (which meant I immediately questioned every life decision that had led me there).

So I made an oath.

Yes, drastic situations often lead to drastic decisions, and this was one of them.

I promised myself that I wouldn’t be too participatory in the future, because socializing when you’re the only new person in a crowd really sucks. I had always been an inactive member, and maybe it should’ve just stayed that way.

In the meantime, I decided to give my all to the service instead. (Apparently, competence is my coping mechanism.) I focused on welcoming the congregation and handing out snacks. Aside from helping my much older teammates, I also lent a hand to members from the registration division, since they were stationed right next to me.

And guess what?

I slowly made friends.

Not friends, per se—but people became genuinely kind and warm toward me. We talked, took pictures together, and some of us even followed each other on Instagram by the end of the event, which honestly felt like a big win for an introvert like me.

When I said 2026 was going to be different, I guess this is one of the ways it already is.

I was brave enough to step out of my comfort zone and voluntarily dive into a hall full of strangers (which meant I gained nothing tangible and could’ve easily said no). I was brave enough to introduce myself to people who weren’t exactly welcoming at first—which, to be fair, isn’t a bad thing. I can be just as awkward around new people.

I was also brave enough to take a photo-booth picture alone.

I mean, 2025 me—or any earlier version of me—would never have had the courage to do that. My social anxiety simply wouldn’t allow it.

But guess what?

2026 is going to be different.

That, I know—and I believe.

If you like this post, you might also enjoy Things that Sound Mature Enough to Fix in 2026 and When a Friendship Quietly Ends.