The calendar flips to December and suddenly…everything is BUSY.
The stores are busy.
The restaurants are busy.
The roads are busy.
Our minds? Busy.
Our hearts? Oh, they’re especially busy.
It’s like the world collectively throws glitter in the air and shouts:
“GO! BE MERRY! DO ALL THE THINGS!”
Meanwhile, some of us are just trying to remember what day it is and whether we’ve eaten lunch.
And if you’re grieving? That hectic rush can feel like you’re being swept down a holiday river without a paddle.
Busy can be a blessing…or a band-aid.
Let’s be honest — sometimes staying busy is survival.
Filling every hour so your brain has less room for ache…that’s a coping mechanism, and not a terrible one.
There is value in:
-Distraction
-Connection
-Movement
-Having something to look forward to
Busy can help you get through a heavy season without sitting in the weight of it 24/7.
But busy can also:
😵 drain your energy faster
💔 amplify the grief you didn’t have time to feel
🧠 overload an already tender mind
And suddenly…boom…you’re crying in a Target parking lot because someone cut you off and Bing Crosby won’t stop singing.
So, what do we do in this messy, magical month?
We find balance or at least something that vaguely resembles it.
Here are a few gentle ways to navigate December when your heart is still healing:
1️⃣ Give yourself permission to pause.
You don’t have to go to every event you’re invited to.
You don’t have to say yes just because you used to say yes.
Let “maybe next year” become your new holiday phrase.
2️⃣ Choose meaning over madness.
If it doesn’t fill you up, bring you peace, or help someone you love feel seen...it’s okay to skip it.
Traditions can evolve — especially when life has.
3️⃣ Keep your heart in the present moment.
Not the past holiday that hurts.
Not the future you’re worried about.
Just the step you’re taking right now.
Presence is where joy hides.
4️⃣ Let busy be good when it wants to be.
Some weeks are chaos and that’s okay.
Like this week?
I somehow decided to:
🎙️ Record 3 podcasts
📦 Ship a mountain of orders
🛍️ Prep for a Saturday craft fair
🕯️ Keep Butterflies + Halos thumping
⏱️ …all in the first week of December
Why?
I honestly don’t know.
But you know what?
It feels good.
It feels like momentum.
It feels like I’m living.
And sometimes, especially in grief…that’s the win.
5️⃣ Give yourself more grace than to-dos.
If the only thing you accomplish today is breathing through a hard moment, that counts.
The holidays aren’t a performance.
They’re a reminder that love — the kind we hold, and the kind we’re missing — still matters.
So, this December…
Busy if you want.
Rest if you need.
Cry in aisle 7 if that’s where the big feelings ambush you.
And remember:
You don’t have to keep up with the season.
You only have to keep up with your heart.