I hope all of you had good holiday celebrations. For my family it’s been, well, the word that keeps coming up is “subdued”: not a lot of decorations, not a lot of present unwrapping. I picked up some things of Dad’s that my mother thought I’d like. We watched some movies, at least one of which had a holiday theme: 1947’s The Bishop’s Wife. But we’re still working out what the new normal is going to be around here.

All of which leaves me curious. I’m sure some of you reading this have been through something similar. How did you work your way back to a new normal. I’m not looking for advice here. I’d just like to hear your story, so please tell it in comments. How did you and your family deal with your first holiday after a major loss?