3 ways to navigate grief during the holidays
Angela Pittenger - TMC Health
·
11/20/2025
Grieving someone who died can be particularly difficult during the holidays, especially in the first year when their absence is so potent.
If you are grieving, you may feel overwhelmed at the thought of holiday gatherings without your loved one or you may even question whether it’s ok to celebrate during this time. It is important to acknowledge that those feelings are valid and to know that there’s no right way to grieve. Everyone’s experience is different, but there are some strategies that can help you get through it.
Greg S. Dalder, Medical Social Worker and Grief Counselor for TMC Hospice at Home & Peppi’s House shares the following tips to help navigate grief during the holidays:
- Honor the person. I often suggest at family gatherings like Thanksgiving that someone make a toast to the person who has died. This acknowledges the reality that the person has died. It communicates that the topic of the death need not be avoided.
- It is useful for the grieving person to take some time to become clear about what they need and don't need on specific holidays. On Christmas, some people need to be around family and friends. For them, being alone can cause them to be overwhelmed by difficult emotions. For others, being alone is just what is needed. Closing blinds and being by themselves and with themselves is the best choice. Everyone's needs are different and should be respected.
- Allow difficult emotions to be there however they already are and greet them with affectionate attention.
Grief support
TMC Hospice hosts a free in-person grief support group for those in their first year of loss. Each group is facilitated by qualified bereavement volunteers and is open to anyone in the Southern Arizona community, regardless of hospice affiliation. Sign up here for more information.
Additionally, TMC Hospice hosts a free community gathering known as a Grief & Mindfulness Circle. This is not a support group; it helps participants learn about mindfulness and practice meditation. This group meets the first and third Wednesday of the month from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at San Pedro Chapel, 5230 E. Fort Lowell Road. Please email Greg.Dalder@tmcaz.com or call (520) 324-2438 for more information.
