Christmas is supposed to be all twinkly lights and joy and chaotic family WhatsApps… but for a lot of people, it’s also the time when grief hits the hardest. The quiet moments get louder. The empty chair feels bigger.

According to YouGov research for Co-op Funeral Care, 13 million people in the UK who’ve recently lost someone are struggling with loneliness and their mental health this Christmas. Thirteen million. It’s a reminder that grief doesn’t pause just because everyone else is wearing matching pyjamas and drinking mulled wine.

So this is for anyone moving through December with a heavy heart. Grief isn’t neat. It isn’t linear. Your “first” Christmas without someone might feel impossible. Your fortieth might surprise you with a wave you didn’t see coming. There isn’t a right way to feel. There isn’t a wrong one either.

Today I am speaking with Jennie Cashman, about her experience with grief at Christmas and how you can support yourself and others at this time.
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Why Aren’t We Talking About This? is a series of honest conversations about the stuff we rarely discuss but probably should - big feelings, weird thoughts, life, death, and all the messy, beautiful parts of being human.

Hosted by me, Carly Osman-Holme, on a quest to dodge a full-blown existential crisis. I’ve reached that point in life where I’m asking the big questions: How did I get here? What do I actually want? And why didn’t they teach us any of this in school?