The holiday season is full of love, joy, giving and family… unless you just lost a loved one, then it can be dreadful and depressing.

I have always been one to absolutely love Christmas and counting down all the days to it; however, we recently lost my grandma and this will be our very first holiday season without her. I always imagined it was unbelievably tough for those that lost a loved one during their first holiday without them, but I never truly understood it until it happened to me, like most things. With each passing day as it gets closer to Christmas, I just wish it would be over and done with. I get upset thinking about that side of the family and the time we will spend together, minus one, this year.

For any of you going through this as well, there are a few things that I have learned that help ease the pain a little bit. If your loved one was suffering, just think of how miserable they would be had they been able to make it to the celebration. Whether they were suffering or not, they are living a much better life than we can imagine now! Take this as an opportunity to live in the now this holiday season. When you're with your family, stop and take a second to look around and take it all in, enjoy a few minutes talking individually with everyone, laugh, take pictures and make memories. It is much easier said than done, but try not to dwell on the loss of one but instead enjoy the company of many. You should never feel guilty enjoying your life because you lost a loved one; trust me they're much happier and far more content than any of us here on Earth. Enjoy those you still have and have a very happy holiday season!