12/19/2025
Everyone’s getting ready for Christmas.
And my tree has no ornaments.
There’s laundry in the chair.
And my mom is dead.
When your mom dies, the holidays do not land the same. If she was the one who held the magic, the traditions, the feeling, there is no roadmap when she’s gone. Grief is trauma because it is a break in attachment, and holidays make that rupture louder.
Sometimes grief shuts down executive functioning. You cannot organize, decorate, or care the way you used to. And that has to be okay. This may be what Christmas looks like this year, and that is allowed.
If you love someone who has lost their mom, reach out. Say her name. Drop off food. Send a note. You will not remind her she is grieving. She already is. What you will remind her is that she is not alone.
If this season feels bare, you are not broken. You are grieving.
If you are grieving and want a list of 101 grief and trauma distress tolerance tools, type TOOLS below and I will send it to you.