Untangling the Tinsel: Spending the Holidays Alone Without the Toxic Ones

If this is your first holiday, thanksgiving or Christmas without toxic family, a draining partner, or the chaos you grew up with, this episode of High Heels, Higher Standards is your permission slip to protect your peace, protect your energy, and romanticize spending the holidays solo for the softest December of your life. 

In “Untangling the Tinsel: Spending the Holidays Alone Without the Toxic Ones,” hosts Ashley Werner and Heidi Hushak dive into the emotional reality of spending the holidays alone — and why solitude can be the glow-up season your nervous system has been begging for. From healing after cutting off toxic ex or toxic family, to rebuilding traditions post-divorce, to navigating your first “solo Christmas” this episode blends humor, honesty, practical tips and high-level empowerment.

✨ In this episode, we explore:

• How to spend the holidays without toxic family members without feeling guilty
• The emotional arc of choosing peace over dysfunction
• The “black sheep glow-up” after walking away from chaotic relatives or unhealthy relationships
• Why spending holidays or Christmas alone can be a reset, a recalibration, and an act of self-respect
• How to create new holiday traditions when you’re starting from scratch
• The surprising moment solitude shifts from “sad” to “luxurious and peaceful”
• How neutrality can feel like a luxury when you come from dysfunction
• How to stop feeling ashamed, embarrassed, or “behind” when you celebrate the holidays solo
• The 5-year glow-up arc of holiday healing — from lonely to empowered
• A survive-and-thrive guide for your first solo holiday

Whether you’re divorced, estranged from family, no-contact, skipping the drama this year, or simply choosing a more peaceful December, this conversation will help you reframe what the holidays can look like — soft, intentional, and completely on your terms.

🎧 Perfect for listeners navigating:
holiday trauma, going no-contact, first Christmas alone, healing family wounds, rebuilding traditions, emotional boundaries, seasonal empowerment, and choosing a peaceful “soft life” holiday season.

✨ This episode will help you:

• Romanticize solitude
• Release guilt and comparison
• Rebuild your holiday identity
• Celebrate without chaos
• Create a version of Christmas that feels healing, not harmful

Grab a peppermint martini, or a non-alcoholic cocktail, wrap yourself in your softest blanket, and tune in for the holiday empowerment episode you didn’t know you needed — but absolutely deserve.

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Until next Wednesday, keep your head, heels and standards high! Please follow along for more on TikTok and Instagram: @higherheelspodcast

Thank you for listening, lovelies!