Life comes in seasons. Some years are wonderful with few worries and plenty of everything. Others are leaner, more troublesome, and just plain sad. In the good years, the holidays are a lot of fun, but during the sad times, we may not enjoy Christmas, & New Year all that much, and that’s ok.

There’s a lot of pressure put on us my media and society alike to put on a smile be “merry and bright” during the holidays. We’re magically supposed to be in a good mood because of the Holidays, no matter what’s going on in our lives or around us. Yes, you should hide your pain and sorrow and smile through the tears for your kids, unless they’re going through the same thing. Then you should show them it’s okay to be sad, and express your emotions.  But let’s face it, sometimes life sucks and when it happens around this time of the year, it’s hard to put on a show of good cheer.

It’s Perfectly Fine To Be Sad Around The Holidays

If you’re recently lost a loved one and you faced your first Christmas without them, it’s perfectly normal and healthy to be sad. You miss them, and not being able to share such a wonderful time of the year with this special person makes it harder to feel joy and happiness. When something does put a smile on your face, you may even feel guilty.

Maybe you lost your job a few weeks ago and you couldn’t give your kids the gifts they’ve been asking Santa for. Maybe a relationship fell apart and you’re still trying to figure out what your life looks like now. Maybe you loss a family member during this pandemic. Lots of different things can happen that will take a lot of the joy out of the Holidays. And that’s ok.

Despite the picture TV shows, movies, and Christmas stories paint, our troubles don’t magically go away when the clock strike 12am on New Years.

We are still grieving, broke, and feeling lost. And that’s ok. Life isn’t always perfect. It’s messy, complicated, sad, and sometimes just plain sucks.

My Best Advice For When The Holidays Sucks:

• Don’t feel pressured to put yourself in a good mood.
• Don’t expect to feel better all of sudden.
• Get through the Holidays the best you can.
• Do what you need to do for the little ones, and then go and have a good cry. Be mad, be sad, or be angry. Feel what you need to feel to get through this hard period in life.

But also remember this…….Things will look up and there are many happy days and happy Holidays ahead.  Remember the good times and know in your heart that better times are yet to come.