Hey there, currently facing a dilemma.
I’m not able to go back to my origin country for the holidays due to money, scheduling, flying in the winter being miserable, being horribly depressed just stuck in my parents house, and a friend recently moving to my new country and wanting to be there for them.
How do I even begin to tell my family that I’m not coming back? They’re trying to include me in a gift exchange (without having asked…), and just fully expect me to come back like I did last year. I’ve told them I don’t know about vacation time yet, but I’m not really sure what to say at this point.
Do I just lie and say I couldn’t get the time approved? Or do I tell the truth that I just don’t want to do all that travel and spend all that money…
"After lots of thought, I’ve made the difficult decision that I am not coming home for holidays this year. For a lot of reasons, it simply isn’t in the cards this time . I feel badly for the disappointing news, but hopefully this is enough notice that I am not included in a gift exchange or other plans. I look forward to video chatting with everyone at a time that is convenient for all of you together. "