Naughty or Nice – periods that arrive Christmas morning are often placed in the naughty category.

I remember one Christmas morning I woke to find my period had blessed me, my night clothes, and my bed with Christmas red. 

Instead of jumping out of bed to see what surprises were under the tree with my name on them, I jumped out of bed and scurried to the bathroom to see…

…how red my panty was, if I would need to change clothes, and how much clean up I would need before I could join my family around the Christmas tree.

Ah, the disappointment I felt…

…and, the silent tears I shed as I heard family calling to me from the living room: “What’s taking so long?”  “We’re waiting on you!”

…and, the embarrassment I experienced when asked why I changed from my night clothes.

That morning, Christmas red broke family traditions formed throughout my childhood and moved me to embrace long held cultural traditions formed through secrecy and denial.

I can only imagine how different that Christmas would have been if I had felt free to be open and honest about the fact that I was menstruating.

Imagine a world where girls feel no need to hide menstruation – from themselves or from others.  Imagine a world where women break cultural taboos and embrace menstruation as a gift – to themselves and to others.

Imagine a period wise world….

From Period Wise – have a wonderful Christmas

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