Navigating Grief During the Holidays

The holidays can be especially difficult when grief is part of the season. Traditions change, emotions surface unexpectedly, and joy can feel complicated—or even out of reach.

In this episode of Grief to Hope, we sit down with Hannah and Ali, facilitators at The Bradley Center for Grieving Children and Families, to talk openly about navigating grief during the holidays. Hannah first came to The Bradley Center as a grieving teenager after the death of her father just days before Christmas. Ali was her facilitator—walking alongside her during one of the most painful seasons of her life.

Now, years later, Hannah returns not as a participant but as a facilitator herself—an inspiring example of post-traumatic growth and the power of paying healing forward.

Together, Hannah and Ali share:

• What grief can look like during the holidays
• How The Bradley Center supported Hannah through loss and helped her rediscover joy
• Practical strategies for navigating traditions, expectations, and emotional triggers
• Permission to grieve differently — and to create new traditions that honor both loss and love
• How faith, support, and community can coexist with sorrow

This episode is for anyone facing the holidays with a tender heart—whether you are newly grieving, supporting someone who is, or still learning how to hold space for both sadness and hope.

Because even during the hardest seasons, healing is possible—and joy can return in new and meaningful ways.