The holiday season has a way of arriving with a lot of expectations attached.
✔️ Be joyful.
✔️ Be grateful.
✔️ Be festive.
✔️ Be busy.
But for many people, this season doesn’t feel full of light at all. It can stir up grief, loneliness, financial stress, family tension, or an annoying sense of being out of step with all the cheer swirling around.
If that’s you this year, I want you to know something important: you’re not broken, and you’re not alone.
Even if it feels that way.
I’ve learned that holidays tend to amplify whatever is already present in our lives. If things are joyful, they can feel extra bright. If things are heavy, they can feel even heavier. That contrast can be exhausting. So rather than adding more pressure, I want to offer a gentle invitation
💛 to breathe.
💛 To be kind to yourself.
💛 To remember that this season doesn’t have to look a certain way to be meaningful.
I personally believe that our Creator has a plan and a purpose for each of us—even when life feels confusing or painful. I don’t offer that as a neat explanation or a tidy bow to wrap around hard things. I simply offer it as a quiet reassurance. Meaning doesn’t disappear just because circumstances are difficult. Sometimes it’s just harder to find.
One of my favorite reminders comes from Mary Kay Ash, who said, “The past is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present.”
I love the simplicity of that thought. Not last month. Not next year, Just today. One day at a time is more than enough especially during the holidays.
If you’re looking for small ways to make this season happier—or at least gentler—here are a few ideas to consider.
1. Lower the bar on “perfect.”
Holidays don’t need to be Pinterest-worthy to be worthwhile. Choose what actually matters to you this year, and let the rest be optional. Peace is a perfectly legitimate goal.
2. Create one small moment you can look forward to.
It might be a quiet morning coffee, a favorite song, a walk outside, or a call with someone who is in your corner. One grounded moment can anchor you for the entire day.
3. Name what’s true—for yourself.
You don’t have to explain it to anyone else. Simply acknowledging, “This is hard for me right now,” can be surprisingly relieving. Honesty is not negativity; it’s grounding.
4. Stay gently connected.
Loneliness often tempts us to withdraw, even though connection is what we need most. A short message, a shared laugh, or even being around others without much conversation still counts.
5. Let today be enough.
You don’t have to solve anything this season. You don’t have to figure out the future. Showing up for this day, just as it is, is already a quiet act of courage.
If the holidays feel joyful for you, I hope that joy deepens and spreads. If they feel heavy, I hope you give yourself permission to move through them at your own pace. And if you find yourself somewhere in between, that counts too.
Wherever you are this season, I’m wishing you warmth, moments of ease, and the quiet reassurance that you matter—exactly as you are, right now.
Big hugs,
