Holy cow is it that time again already?!? You know how I know it is? I saw a Hallmark Christmas movie commercial ;). Then I got invited to a pumpkin carving party. So, yes it is indeed time to navigate through the sometimes complicated holiday season.
No matter who you talk to, holidays appear to be fraught with conflicting emotions of negotiating visiting the in-laws, out-laws, and what you really want to do. This year promises to be even more complicated with the pandemic…to travel or not to travel? To see potentially health compromised family members or not?
And that’s just for the average person – now throw in the added weight of no need for negotiating trick-or-treating with your deceased child or the empty seat of where he/she should be sitting at the Thanksgiving table.
Whether it’s been two weeks or twenty years, this time of year seems to bring to the surface memories, emotions, and feelings that can run sometimes dormant throughout rest of the year. It could be the beginning of your first year limping through the season without your child or it could the twentieth where you’ve replaced old traditions with new ones which bring fond memories of your beloved.
Regardless, it’s time to start making a plan for how you’ll take extra care through the rest of this year. You may not be able to avoid what feels like more tricks than treats, but you can provide a safe space for yourself to land when the hard moments hit.
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