Home for the Holidays: A Reflection on Recovery, Belonging, and Hope

The holidays are a season of joy, but they can also bring stress. That’s why our Holiday Wellness Campaign is here: to help you pause for peace, connect with community, and practice grace. All month long we’ll be sharing wellness resources from NBA’s Mental Health & Wellness Program to support your mind, body, and spirit.

A Holiday Offering from Rev. Cameron Cunningham, MDiv., NBA Mental Health and Wellness Program Coordinator

As the holidays and season of Advent approaches, many look forward to the familiar comforts of home, warmth, familiar connection, and a sense of belonging. This season can stir both longing and joy as people celebrate family, revisit traditions, and gather in meaningful ways. Yet for many individuals impacted by mental health and addiction challenges, this time of year can also make “home” feel far away through feelings of distance, uncertainty, or emotional strain. While the world seems to glow with celebration, some are quietly navigating their own journeys of healing. Recovery invites us to recognize both realities because recovery is more than treatment or sobriety; Recovery is a journey of returning to oneself in wholeness and complete purpose. It is rediscovering community after feeling isolated, and it is reconnecting with faith, purpose, and the belief that healing is possible.

The Christmas story itself reminds us that homes are not always defined by familiar walls. Jesus entered the world amid uncertainty and upheaval, marked by displacement far from home, in a borrowed space, in a moment that lacked comfort and certainty. Yet, God was present and hope was born. It is a reminder that home is not just a place; it is a feeling cultivated through support, connection, and inner restoration. Recovery mirrors this truth: new beginnings can emerge in unexpected and difficult places. And no one walks that path alone.

Practical Ways to Support Healing During the Holidays

For individuals in recovery, the holiday season is a time when community connection matters deeply, and when support can make all the difference. Here are practical ways we can nurture support and belonging during this season:

• Practical Tip for Supporting Those in Recovery: Create safe and welcoming spaces at
  home, in congregations, or in community settings. Simple gestures, warm invitations,
  nonjudgmental and intentional hospitality can help individuals feel grounded and
  included.
• Practical Tip for Supporting Those in Recovery: Honor boundaries and emotional needs
  as the holidays can surface complex emotions. Offer understanding, allow people to
  step away when needed, or simply check in for support.
• Practical Tip for Supporting Those in Recovery: Send a powerful message of care by
  creating a substance-safe environment and staying substance-conscious if Holiday
  celebrations including alcohol.
• Practical Tip for Those in Recovery: Plan your “no” ahead of time and resist the feeling
  of fitting in. Remind yourself that you are choosing what’s healthy as part of coming
  home to yourself.

Finding Our Way Home

During the holidays, my offering is simple:

May we create spaces within where people truly feel at home.
A place where compassion replaces stigma.
Where support replaces isolation.
Where healing replaces shame.


A Home of overwhelming and supporting joy in welcoming and supporting all to discover the
home within themselves. May this holiday season inspire us to continue building communities
of care, belonging, and hope for all who are on the journey toward healing.

In recovery, we find our way home.