Holiday Blues

This is more of a question or conversation instead of a point of view or diary entry about my life. I was listening to the song What do the lonely do at Christmas and as I embark on the beginning of a new Christmas tradition or revisit an old one of being single for the Holidays I began to wonder how have YOU my readers coped with sudden change during holidays or anniversaries or birthday's? How did you change that day into something positive or less sad? What did you do different if you are suffering from a broken heart or what tradition did you keep if your are grieving a loss? I have a number of friends that are widows at very young ages and as Believers I know there is a great comfort in knowing your Loved one is celebrating in heaven and I must admit after reading Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo yesterday I am more convinced that what is waiting for us in heaven is so much greater than what we have here on earth; but we are human and we miss the important people in our life. So if this is your first holiday without someone that has been a constant in your life have you put together your plan for making it past this holiday? And if this is not the first time for you, maybe you can share the story of how you made it through that set of "First" and how you handle the holidays now in comparison to then? Maybe your testimony will help someone else who does not have a clue how they will survive this first set of holidays.