When the house goes quiet: Navigating post-holiday empty nest feelings

Dec 26, 2025
Dec 26, 2025

Colleen Stegenga

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Colleen Stegenga

The last car pulls out of the driveway. You wave from the porch until the taillights disappear, then turn back to a house that suddenly feels too big and too quiet. The grandkids' toys are still scattered in the living room. There are extra cookies wrapped on the counter that you packed for them to take home. The guest bedrooms need stripping, but you're not quite ready to erase the evidence that they were here.

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Colleen Stegenga, MSW, LCSW-PIP, QMHP, is a therapist and owner of Embracing Change Counseling Services, with offices in Sioux Falls and Mitchell. Reach her at colleen@embracingchangecs.com or visit www.embracingchangecs.com.