Grieving Through the Holidays: A Supportive Journal and Guide
A compassionate roadmap for navigating grief during the holiday season.
If you’re grieving the loss of someone you love, the holidays can feel heavy, overwhelming, and bittersweet. Every tradition, gathering, and moment of celebration might bring reminders of what’s missing, and that’s okay.
This guide is here to help you move through the season with care, intention, and support.
WHAT’S INSIDE
WHAT’S INSIDE
This thoughtfully designed journal and guide is your companion for finding moments of peace, creating meaningful memories, and honoring your loved one while giving yourself the grace and space to grieve.
Inside, you’ll find:
Thoughts & Feelings Release: Exercises to gently process the emotions you’re carrying into the season
Honoring Your Feelings: Practical strategies for embracing the full range of emotions grief brings.
Navigating Traditions: Tips for deciding what traditions to keep, adapt, or let go of.
Setting Boundaries: Scripts and tools to help you protect your energy and communicate your needs.
Honoring Your Loved One: Ideas for creating rituals and keeping their memory alive in ways that feel right for you.
Affirmations: Printable affirmations to ground and encourage you throughout the season.
Reflection & Journaling Prompts: Thoughtful questions to help you connect with your emotions and needs.
Practical Strategies: Plans and scripts for gracefully navigating holiday gatherings, obligations, and expectations.
This is a digital PDF that you can download to your phone, computer, or print out to work through.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide is for you if…
You’re facing the holidays with a deep ache in your heart and an empty seat at the table.
You’ve lost someone you love, recently or years ago, and find that this time of year brings a fresh wave of grief.
You’re tired of pretending you’re okay just to make others comfortable.
You feel overwhelmed by the pressure to “be festive” when your heart feels heavy.
You want to honor your grief, not suppress it, and you’re looking for gentle ways to do that.
You’re trying to navigate invitations, gatherings, family dynamics, or traditions that now feel different or even painful.
You’re longing for meaningful ways to remember your loved one during the season and to welcome the new year with intention.
Whether this is your first holiday season without someone you love or one of many, this guide is a companion to help you move through it with care, clarity, and compassion for yourself.
This guide is going to give you a sense of empowerment to set boundaries that honor your grief and healing. You’re going to have the tools to navigate family gatherings and obligations with confidence. You will develop a deeper connection to your emotions, allowing you to process your grief in a meaningful way. And you’re going to find new ways to honor and remember your loved one during the holiday season.
The holidays don’t have to be a time to “get through” or putting on a “brave face.” This guide give your space to grieve, reflect, and honor your loved one while finding moments of light and connection.
Disclaimer: This guide is not a substitute for therapy or professional mental health support, nor is it personal or individualized advice. It is designed to offer thoughtful guidance and reflection tools, not clinical advice. If you or your loved one is experiencing acute distress, please seek help from a licensed mental health provider.
Redistribution Notice: This is a copyrighted digital resource created by Gina Moffa, LCSW. Please do not copy, reproduce, distribute, or share this guide (in full or in part) without written permission. Unauthorized use is a violation of copyright law.