Slate Daily Feed Care & Feeding | This is Our First Holiday Without My Husband. How Do We Cope?
Dec 11, 2025
Jessica Carrente, a certified child life specialist, joins the discussion to help navigate grief during the holidays. She emphasizes that there isn't a 'right' way to cope with loss. Children process grief differently than adults, often in bursts. Jessica advises grieving families to communicate their needs clearly to friends, and suggests comforting rituals like ornaments or river releases to honor loved ones. Her insights offer a compassionate framework for families dealing with holiday sadness.
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Listener's First Holiday After Loss
- Claire, a longtime listener, wrote that her husband died this year and her kids want to keep traditions while remembering him.
- She asked for a 'blue Christmas' episode to support families facing loss, separation, or fertility pain during holidays.
No Single Right Holiday
- There is no single right way to spend holidays after a loss and families must craft what feels right for them.
- Expect messiness, differing opinions, and changing approaches across years.
Kids Grieve In Bursts
- Children grieve in piecemeal bursts rather than sustained sorrow, moving quickly between big feelings and play.
- When present, their grief feels as deep as adults' but is shorter and punctuated by joy.