Although many view the holidays as a time of family, food, and fun, for some it can be full off sadness, grief, and anger. After all one missing bulb can take down the whole strand. I frequently have clients come in wondering how to move on and find happiness and find joy during the holiday season. I want to be clear that it is normal and OK to have these unpleasant feelings. We are human and as such have feelings which need to be recognized and felt. So what can you do to commemorate your loved one this holiday? I have a few suggestions.
- Make an altar. You can do this in many ways! Make some sort of space where you can put a picture of some things that your loved one would like.
- Set a place where they would sit at the table. Even though they are not there sometimes when setting the table still leaving their seat open with perhaps their favorite cup in their place can bring a smile to your face.
- Create a memory book. Take old pictures and perhaps even old objects and put them together in a scrap book!
- Make a special ornament. I love this idea! Get creative with this one you can put anything from photos to glitter in it.
- Keep their traditions alive. Perhaps there was something that they loved to do around the holidays, watch a certain movie, drive around and look at lights, or cook a certain meal. Keep this tradition alive as a great way to remember them.
Previously I have posted on the stages of grief and this can be helpful to see what stage you are in and how to address issues that arise at that stage. Remember it’s ok to grieve and in our culture we are not given enough time to do so.
