Coping During the Holidays

From: Suzy Brown

The Thanksgiving and Christmas are centering points for families. What do you do with the holidays when dealing with divorce or broken relationships make you wonder, “how can I celebrate anything?” How can you embrace Thanksgiving or sing about “Joy to the World” or light the candles on the menorah or tell the stories of Kwanza when your life is crumbling all around you?

As hard as it is, it’s in times of distress and heartache that you absolutely should celebrate the holidays. The fact is the holidays endure through everything. They are part of the solid ground that transcends what’s happening on the surface of our lives. They reassure us that there are some things that do not change and demand celebration no matter what.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are about peace and sharing and gratitude and love. During tragedy, or divorce, or heartache we have to reach down and find those core things at a deeper level, a more meaningful level.

Here is a short list of tips to help you move from grief to celebration. These tips will help you and your family move forward through the holidays. Your divorce is not the end of your life. It’s not the end of your family. It’s not the end of your happiness. It’s not the end of your holidays. Things will change, but you will definitely get back to joy, and you just might find that the true meaning of the holidays will shine brighter than ever.