02/12/2025
Holding Space for Grief This Christmas
As we move into the festive season, many people feel the familiar pull toward joy, connection, and celebration. But for others, Christmas brings a quieter tug — one of absence, memory, and longing. Grief Awareness Week is a gentle reminder that both can exist at the same time.
A truth many of us live with. The holidays are not one-dimensional. They can be glittering lights and heavy hearts all at once. Laughter shared around a table and the silent awareness of a chair that’s no longer filled. The joy of the season doesn’t erase grief — and grief doesn’t cancel our right to enjoy moments of comfort, warmth, and celebration.
Grief is not something to “get over” before Christmas arrives. It’s something we carry, gently and courageously, into the season. And holding space for those who are grieving is one of the kindest gifts we can offer — whether they are clients, friends, or loved ones.
This Christmas, may we allow room for all of it:
The memories that feel tender.
The moments of joy that still find us.
The longing for those no longer here.
The permission to celebrate and to grieve in equal measure.
If you are grieving, you are not doing this season “wrong.” You are navigating it with the depth of someone who has loved deeply. And if you are supporting someone through their grief, thank you for holding space with compassion.
This festive season, let’s honour both the sparkle and the sadness — because both are real, and both deserve to be seen.