Grief and the Holidays

Photo by whoislimos on Unsplash

*TRIGGER WARNING***

Seek professional help if you need support during the holiday season. A link to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline is at the end of this article.

I was called to write about grief and the holidays for those who have lost loved ones, alive or passed on, over the last few years. For some, this year marks the first time families are coming together again after the last few years of the pandemic. If you’re like me, you’ve lost loved ones to natural causes or various illnesses, including cancer and the effects of COVID-19. You may also have had a relationship end and grieving this loss can feel almost as painful as death.

For some, relationship endings, especially during the pandemic, are still too raw to enjoy the holidays. I’ve been there before, both as a child of divorce and as an adult showing up for family functions solo following my separation from my now ex-husband. Marriages with children could make the strain of the holidays even worse on the kids who, if living long distance, now have to choose which side of the family gatherings they should attend.

For those working through grief of a passed on loved one, the holidays are not always a celebratory occasion. The anxiety of gathering with family, not sure what emotions will flood in is enough to stay home and avoid the unsettling feeling of seeing an empty…