Families usually get together during the holidays.
However, if you are grieving the loss of a loved one, programs and commercials showing happy families having fun together during the holidays can only serve to remind you of the loss you are grieving over.
Fortunately, you can honor your lost loved one while celebrating during the festive season by incorporating memories of them as a traditional part of your celebrations.
Below are suggestions as to how you can make your lost loved ones apart of your holiday traditions.
You can give gifts in the name of your loved one.
Purchasing gifts for those that are deceased is becoming a popular tradition.
However, you can give these gifts to the needy in memory of the one you loved as opposed to letting them stay unopened in the house.
Bring a picture of your loved one to important family gatherings.
A lot of people keep photos of their loved one who has passed away as a form of keepsake.
During family gatherings you can take this picture with you and have a candle lit on special occasions.
Friends and family can take turns in sharing their favorite memory about the deceased during the holidays they spent together.
If some people find this uncomfortable, then you can simply take a silent moment before gift giving or a meal in order for persons to gather their memories and thoughts about the departed loved one.
You can also set a place for the deceased at the holiday dinner table and adorn it with floral arrangement and candles.
If your home traditionally hangs stockings as part of your holiday celebrations, you should not exclude the stocking that belongs to your deceased loved one.
You should hang it up as well and instead of filling it with treats and toys, allow persons to write memories or messages on pieces of paper and stuff them in the stocking.
These notes can be placed into a memory album for future generations.
These personal stories will mean a lot to everyone in your family.
A tree lighting ceremony is held by many families during the festive season.
Tree lighting can be dedicated to the memory of your loved one as these ceremonies usually unite persons experiencing feelings that are similar to yours.
You can show your support for each other by coming together for such a ceremony.
The person grieving the death of a loved one may sponsor a light or an ornament for the tree.
As soon as the special items brought by everyone have been placed on the tree, it transforms into a visual tribute to the memory of those loved ones.
Ceremonies during the lighting of the tree are often uplifting and healing.
A tradition that is more personal is that of placing a small fir tree next to the headstone of the loved one.
If the tree is a live one, it can be planted in a yard, forest, or memorial garden when the holiday season is over.
A live fir tree can serve as a memorial which can be beneficial to other persons in the future.
When you decide to visit the last resting place of your loved one, you can use special cards or traditional wreaths to adorn their grave site.
Nothing else says I miss, love and will always remember you as well as doing that.