“Why is the holiday season so complicated?!” That’s the “Big Question” at the heart of this week’s episode.

Although the winter holidays—Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, New Years, and Epiphany—are treasured as times of joy, celebration, and togetherness, they can also be marked by unmet expectations, unhealthy choices, financial strain, interpersonal conflict, isolation, and other triggers for anxiety and depression. How’s a Lutheran lady to cope?

Addressing the tension head on, Bri leads Sarah, Erin, and Rachel in an honest conversation about holiday stress, acknowledging the often dark reality beneath the holly-jolly veneer and offering a range of helpful tips for surviving “inevitably complicated holiday times.”

To read more about holiday depression and stress, click here.

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge). Follow us on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge, and also follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erinaltered), and Bri (@grrrzevske).