💛 Finding Joy While Caregiving Through the Holidays (AARP Article)

[Winter2025VA]

FROM THE ARTICLE.

How to Find Joy While Caregiving Through the Holidays.

Learn how to steer through the season and reach calmer waters where joyful moments can surface.

By Paul Wynn, AARP. Published December 17, 2025.

While it may be the “most wonderful time of the year” for some, caregivers often enter the holiday season stretched thin, trying to keep traditions alive while juggling a loved one’s changing abilities and needs. The holiday rituals that once brought comfort and joy can feel overwhelming now, widening the gap between how holidays used to be and what they’ve become. Experts say there are ways to ease that strain: recalibrate traditions, build in self-care breaks and set clear expectations around what’s possible this year.​

For Tom LeSaint, 75, the holidays look nothing like they used to. Since his wife, Ann, 76, was diagnosed with ALS two years ago, the retired engineer has quietly dismantled the traditions they once treasured. The changes began gradually by letting go of the holiday rituals Ann enjoyed, like baking cookies, shopping and creating the many gift bags for family and friends. Now, simplicity is the only way he can keep up.

USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.

https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/life-balance/caregivers-survive-holidays/