Cousins you see every holiday can drift into strangers if nobody makes an effort. Be the one who texts.

Family closeness is not automatic once the holidays stop doing the work. Cousins you were close to at nine can become people you nod at by twenty-five, not because anything went wrong but because the only thing holding it together was a shared December that nobody replaced with contact of their own. Somebody has to reach out first, and it is usually the same person every time.

Text one cousin this week about something small and specific rather than a check-in. Send the photo, ask about the game, say you thought of them. Two or three of those a year keeps a relationship from going cold.