In a heartfelt revelation, social media influencer Emilie Kiser opened up about the somber reality her family faced this holiday season, following the tragic loss of her young son earlier in the year.

Kiser, renowned for her presence as a mommy blogger on TikTok, endured the heartbreaking loss of her three-year-old son, Trigg. The tragedy occurred on May 18, six days after Trigg was discovered unresponsive in the backyard pool of their Arizona home.

In a poignant post reflecting on the holiday period, Kiser expressed her decision to not “force normalcy” during this time of celebration, instead choosing to share her authentic experience of grief with her audience.

Since her return to social media in September, the 26-year-old influencer has been sparing in her updates, providing only reserved glimpses into her ongoing journey of mourning to her 5.1 million followers.

On Saturday, Kiser posted a ‘get ready with me’ video in holiday pajamas, chatting with fans and revealing why her family skipped Christmas at home for a road trip. 

“I just didn’t want to force a normal Christmas because it is not a normal Christmas,” Kiser candidly admitted, highlighting the profound impact the loss has had on her family’s ability to celebrate.

She further added, “It was, quite frankly, a terrible Christmas for us – I say that just to be real and honest,” underscoring the raw and unfiltered nature of her current reality.

On December 25, the grieving mother shared a quiet glimpse of her morning, packing her nine-month-old son Teddy’s duffel bag before heading to California to spend the holiday with family.

Social media influencer Emilie Kiser said she refused to ‘force normalcy’ after her son’s drowning earlier this year and described the holiday as a ‘terrible Christmas’ 

Kiser, a popular mommy blogger on TikTok, lost her three-year-old son Trigg on May 18, six days after he was found unresponsive in the family’s backyard pool in Arizona

The clip drew more than five million views and a flood of comments, as viewers questioned her trip and asked how she coped with her first Christmas without her toddler. 

Days later, she delivered the highly anticipated update, opening the five-minute video by thanking fans for the overwhelming amount of sweet messages and well wishes she received in her direct messages.

‘Truly so grateful for my family this year, even though we were not home for Christmas this year. We just did not want to have a traditional Christmas without Trigg,’ Kiser said.

‘My family made sure to just make us still feel so special – make it special for Teddy,’ she added.

She emphasized how grateful she was for her siblings, who assured her they’d make the holidays as comfortable as possible and go to any lengths to make the day easier for her family.

‘We were able to just have very quality time together and that is really just all we wanted this year – making memories still, but not having it feel like a normal Christmas.’

Kiser described the trip as ‘up in the air,’ saying it depended on how everyone was feeling and what they wanted to do each day. 

Many fans, however, were happy to see her subtly mention her husband, Trigg’s father Brady Kiser, in videos again, after rumors suggested their relationship ended following their son’s death. 

In the video, Kiser said: ‘We were able to just have very quality time together and that is really just all we wanted this year – making memories still, but not having it feel like a normal Christmas’ 

Kiser said: ‘We were able to just have very quality time together and that is really just all we wanted this year – making memories still, but not having it feel like a normal Christmas’

The pair ‘have been thoughtfully working on their relationship for several months,’ an insider told US Weekly earlier this month.

‘They have gone through the worst tragedy you could ever experience as parents and they are doing their best to come together as a family,’ the source told the outlet.

‘This holiday season is so important to bring a sense of normal for their family,’ they added. ‘And they’re still keeping things private as they work to be the best parents they can be to Teddy.’

Brady allowed his son to go play in the backyard after eating lunch just before the tragedy unfolded, as reported by AZ Central. Emilie was reportedly out with friends at the time. 

He saw his three-year-old son playing near the pool – something police records note was ‘not uncommon’ – and while the pool was usually covered for safety, this time it wasn’t.

However, Brady was ‘soon distracted’ while caring for their newborn son and took his eyes off of Trigg for a mere three to five minutes. 

When he turned his attention back to the little boy, he was met with a horrifying sight of Trigg floating lifeless in their backyard pool. 

Brady immediately burst into action, jumping into the pool to retrieve their son before calling 911 to their home.

Many fans, however, were happy to see her subtly mention her husband, Trigg’s father Brady Kiser, in videos again, after rumors suggested their relationship ended following their son’s death 

Brady allowed his son to go play in the backyard after eating lunch  just before the tragedy unfolded in May 2025

Last month, Kiser issued a heartfelt plea to parents to install pool fences and has repeatedly expressed regret over the accident since her recent return to the internet 

Trigg was transported to Chandler Regional Medical Center, then transferred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where he died on May 18 after remaining in critical condition. 

Last month, Kiser issued a heartfelt plea to parents to install pool fences and has repeatedly expressed regret over the accident since her recent return to the internet. 

‘Please take every precaution possible around water with your children. Drowning is quick and preventable,’ Kiser said.

‘I know statistically Trigg’s drowning won’t be the last, and more have happened since,’ she added. ‘Drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages one to four in the US.’

Kiser advised parents to watch their youngsters at all times, saying ‘No amount of supervision is too much or “helicopter parenting”.’

She advised pool owners to install fences and even add a barrier over existing protection, such as nets or automatic covers.

She also recommended pool alarms, extra locks and automatic closers for doors that lead to the outside.

‘Please sign your kids up for swim lessons… lessons as soon as the age of six months old,’ she added.