The Long December We Carry Inside Us

There’s a line in the Counting Crows song A Long December that always hits a little harder this time of year:
“And it’s been a long December…”

Most of us feel that in our bones.

December has a way of collecting everything we didn’t know we were still carrying, the shame we didn’t have words for, the regret we quietly tucked away, the distance we noticed but didn’t know how to close. The unfinished conversations. The arguments we meant to repair but didn’t. The ways we slowly drifted from ourselves or each other.

When couples come into therapy this time of year, they often describe not one big rupture but a hundred subtle ones. No single moment caused the drift, it was the slow accumulation of unspoken feelings, swallowed needs, and the fear that bringing things up might make them worse.

If December is feeling “long” for you, maybe it’s not actually December.
Maybe it’s the emotional backlog, the things that hurt quietly.

The good news?
Awareness is the doorway to repair, not a punishment for falling short.

As you look toward the end of the year, consider gently asking yourself:

• What have I avoided naming because I didn’t want to be a burden?

• Where do I need repair or reconnection, with myself or someone I love?

• What part of me feels tired, guilty, or unseen?

You’re allowed to pause.
You’re allowed to tell the truth.
You’re allowed to begin again.