Holiday Blues

I began thinking more deeply this year on how grief can take hold, especially during the holiday season. This time of year is often defined by lasting memories built on shared traditions—decorating a tree, baking cookies, and storytelling together. Then, life shifts, as it always does, and we find ourselves aching for the routine of what once was.

The person I'm missing most? My grandmother.

Yet, the grief isn't arising from a missed holiday tradition. It's surfacing because I'm currently guiding my daughter through learning to read, just as my grandmother once guided me. I deeply wish I could turn to her, ask for her wisdom, and seek guidance on how to walk through this season with her grace.

As I was checking in with a client about her grief, she mentioned not anticipating it arising when it did. She suddenly found herself crying in the grocery store, unable to call her loved one for a simple recipe. That is grief. It is not linear. It takes many shapes and forms and is often unexpected, even as time passes.

Let's choose to honor the grief.

Take the time to sit with the feelings, whatever emotion they may hold. Lean into the memories. Allow tears to flood from you, if that's necessary. Honor your loved one. This could mean creating a new tradition, or perhaps leaning into an old one and passing it along to someone new.

Grief happens. You can be present with it and allow it to move through you as you navigate this time of year.