“Don’t let the past steal the present. This is the message of Christmas: we are never alone.” -Taylor Caldwell
My first Christmas without my kids during my divorce was the most difficult day of the year. Not having my boys around making noise, ripping into things and getting into little spats and then playing the Monopoly game that always deteriorated into typical brotherly beratement was a void in my life and my heart that just sucked what little joy I had away.
The first year after a parent passes is hard on everyone.
Even if things are moving in a good direction, and it is your first holiday with your love or the new baby it will be different as you try to create new traditions that may not completely align with previous experiences and expectations. This is an opportunity to assess.
Christmastime is filled with traditions, but all traditions were new at one point. Charles Dickens popularized roast goose with “A Christmas Carol”, and the elf on a shelf did not exist before this century. Seasons change, and the way we celebrate The Season changes too over time. But even if someone is not physically with you this year, they are still with you in spirit. Memories remain, and new ones will be created for the future. These are what Dickens meant with the Christmas spirits that visit us.