12/19/2025
This isn’t about being sad, it’s about grief. Grief doesn’t always show up as tears or longing. Sometimes it shows up as disorientation…like your mind can’t quite catch up to the calendar.
Yesterday was December 17th and I finally put the tree up. Grief makes familiar things hard to reach. I dreaded it. I had to make myself do it. Because I have kids and they still need Christmas, even while my heart and brain can’t fully wrap around it yet.
So we chose simple this year. Not perfect. Just gentle.
If you’re a widowed mom and the holidays feel unreal or foggy, nothing is wrong with you.
This is grief.
And you’re not behind. ❤️