Rewinding Our Hearts This Holiday Season: A Gentle Call to Mend What Matters
Nov. 2025
There’s something about the holiday season that brings out the best in us…and, let’s be honest, sometimes the spiciest in us too.
One minute you’re lighting a candle or decorating a tree, and the next you’re remembering that one conversation, that one disagreement, or that one tiny moment that left a crack where connection used to be.
Holidays have a funny way of shining light on both our tenderness and our tangled places.
And here’s the thing I keep thinking about lately:
Life is so short.
Short enough that it feels a little wild to let old misunderstandings steal precious time from us—especially with people who once felt like home.
This season, maybe we don’t need perfectly aligned opinions or identical beliefs to sit together at the same table. Maybe what we need is something simpler—like curiosity. Or softness. Or a tiny do-over wrapped in a little courage.
Why relationships fray in the first place
The truth we often forget is this:
Relationships don’t break all at once.
Most of the time, they unravel slowly—
One missed call.
One hurt feeling.
One “I’ll reach out later.”
One moment where pride felt safer than vulnerability.
And before we know it, the space between us is wider than we ever meant it to be.
But the hopeful part?
They can also be rewoven slowly—
one small gesture,
one honest word,
one tiny kindness at a time.
If you’re heading into the holidays with a relationship that feels frayed, strained, or quietly aching… you’re not alone.
So many people walk into November and December carrying stories they’ve tucked away.
But this year, what if the season became an invitation—
not to erase what happened,
but to soften around it?
✨ Your gentle challenge this week:
Choose one person you miss.
Just one.
And before the year ends, offer them a simple moment of connection.
Nothing big or dramatic—just something that whispers,
“I’m still here.”
You could:
Send a short text: Thinking of you today. Hope you’re doing okay.
Mail a handwritten note (maybe considered “old school” but my personal favorite).
Share an old photo and say, “This memory made me smile.”
Drop off a small kindness—like a card, a treat, or a favorite book.
Or, if you’re feeling a bit brave, ask if they’d like to talk.
Not to fix everything.
Not to debate what happened.
Just to begin again—gently.
✨ Further Reading
If you want something warm and wise to guide you, I recommend…
The Lost Art of Listening — Michael P. Nichols.
Helpful on repairing and understanding relationships.
It reminds us that sometimes the greatest gift isn’t a perfect explanation—it’s our presence.
Our willingness to hear someone’s heart.
꩜❤️ A final holiday thought ❤️꩜
We can’t rewind time.
But we can rewind kindness.
We can choose to show up differently.
We can choose to try again.
And sometimes that tiny step is all a relationship needs to start mending.
If this season feels tender for you, I hope you find small pockets of peace.
And I hope—more than anything—you find the courage to reach toward someone you miss.
That little spark might be the beginning of something beautiful again.
To you my friend, sending kindness and a warm nudge to your brave heart - 💛 D. Ella Wilson
💛 You might also like 💛
Families & Emotional Struggles: Why Kindness Matters Most
Rewind Kindness: Why Elephants Teach Us About Gentle Strength.
Kindness & Care: This article offers encouragement and general education. It isn’t medical, psychological, or legal advice, and it can’t replace care from a licensed professional. If you need support, call or text 988 (US).