Insights to Help Families Thrive This Holiday Season

The holiday season brings joy, beauty and connection—but for many families, it also brings stress, complicated dynamics and pressure to “hold it all together.” As family structures shift, parents navigate mental health concerns, and church leaders juggle dual roles of ministry and family life, it’s more important than ever to approach the holidays with intention.

Following are research-informed insights to help families and church leaders move into the holidays with empathy, clarity and grace.

The Changing Family Landscape

Families today look different than they did even a decade ago. Barna’s article, “Marriage and Divorce in 2025: Five Trends Shaping Today’s Families,” notes that fewer than half of U.S. adults are currently married (46%), and younger generations are delaying marriage at higher rates. Many adults navigate blended families, remarriage, cohabitation or single-parent households—realities that shape how holidays unfold.

With this diversity, the “classic holiday gathering” no longer fits everyone’s reality. Families may juggle multiple households, shifting traditions, or complicated travel and visitation schedules. Church leaders must also be mindful that when they reference “family,” congregants may picture something very different from what leaders assume.

The invitation is simple: approach the holidays with openness, flexibility and the understanding that every family sits within its own story. Drawing from recent Barna research on families, parents, pastors and spiritual life, here are practical insights to help families and church leaders enter the holidays with awareness, empathy and hope.

Emotional and Mental Pressure Points

Parents and Teens

Parents today face complex emotional terrain—especially those caring for teens. In “How Parents Can Support Teens’ Mental Health,” teens say the thing they need most from parents is for them to listen. Not fix, judge or problem-solve—just listen.

During the holidays, when schedules tighten and expectations rise, listening becomes even more important. Teens may feel anxiety about gatherings, overstimulation, or strained relationships. Parents can prepare by asking gentle questions, making space for emotion and setting realistic expectations about holiday activities.

Mothers and Working Moms

Research on motherhood and mental health shows that working mothers, in particular, carry disproportionate loads of emotional and practical labor. Holidays often intensify this. Church leaders can support mothers by acknowledging the pressures they carry and offering simple help—childcare, simplified church events, or the freedom to say no.

Pastors and Their Families

Pastors experience unique pressures during the holidays. According to “The Unique Parenting Pressures for Pastors,” over half of pastors feel their parenting is scrutinized because of their ministry role. Holidays can amplify this sense of being “on display.”

Pastors’ spouses and children often carry invisible burdens: expectations to host, perform, attend or behave in particular ways. Leaders need permission—internally and externally—to set boundaries for themselves and their families, choosing connection over performance.

Practical Strategies for Families

1. Have a Pre-Holiday Conversation

Before the rush begins, gather your household—whether that’s two people or ten—and talk openly about the season ahead.

• What traditions matter most?
• What can we release this year?
• Where might we need more flexibility or help?

For blended or nontraditional families, creating a shared holiday plan can ease the emotional load and help each person feel seen.

2. Create Rhythms of Rest

Borrowing from Rebekah Lyons’ insights on “Rhythms of Rest,” build simple practices into your schedule:

• Limit screens during key moments
• Go for a walk together before or after gatherings
• Protect one evening on the calendar as “no-plans night”

These small rhythms strengthen connection and reduce stress.

3. Make Space for Imperfection

Holidays rarely unfold without bumps—someone gets sick, someone gets upset, the meal burns. Families thrive when they prioritize meaning over perfection.

A short ritual can help: ask each person to share one thing they’re grateful for, one thing they’re hoping for, or one memory from the year.

Practical Strategies for Church Leaders

1. Make Holiday Programming Inclusive

Holiday services and events should reflect the diversity of modern family structures—single adults, step-families, young adults who are far from home, widows and widowers, and single parents.

Small touches—like offering “grab-a-seat tables” during church meals or acknowledging a variety of family experiences during sermons—go a long way.

2. Support Parents and Teens

Draw from Barna’s teen mental health findings to equip parents with tools: listening skills, gentle conversation prompts, and space to ask questions. Consider hosting a brief parent check-in event or distributing simple guides.

3. Protect the Pastor’s Family

Allow pastors to set healthy boundaries around hosting, participating in events, or being “on” all season. Communicate these boundaries to the congregation so expectations are clear and supportive.

4. Lead With Empathy

Use sermons, devotionals or holiday messages to remind the church that the season holds mixed emotions for many—joy and sorrow, celebration and loneliness, hope and grief. Empathy creates belonging.

Present, Not Perfect

The holidays don’t require perfect families—they call for present ones. With shifting family structures, rising mental health needs, and the unique load carried by church leaders, now is the time to enter the season with compassion, curiosity and intentionality.

Whether you’re preparing your own family or guiding your congregation, you can help create a holiday season marked not just by gatherings, but by grace.