With the holidays quickly approaching, it may be hard to know how to handle loss and honor our loved ones that have passed away recently. Here are some ideas about how you can honor a loved one who has passed during this season. 

Carry Out Their Traditions

Did your grandma always bake something special during the holidays? Did your uncle always chop down a real tree at a tree farm? Carrying out the traditions of a loved one who has passed during the holidays is a wonderful way to preserve the memory of someone. Continuing traditions is a wonderful way to find peace after a loved one has passed. Carrying out these traditions is a great way to celebrate someone’s life, rather than focusing on the fact that they’re no longer with you, as well as bring joy and familiarity into your holidays this season. 

Create a Tradition 

Creating a tradition in memory of your loved one that has passed is a beautiful way to remember them. For example, baking a holiday meal or dish in their honor, or making a playlist full of songs that remind you of them is a great way to remember a loved one, and continuing the tradition of baking their dish or listening to their playlist at each holiday season may bring you some peace and make you feel closer to your loved one, as well as help you remember them. 

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Put a Reminder in Your Home

Something that may help you honor a loved one who has passed might be to put something in your home that reminds you of them. Buying a loved one’s favorite flower, or ordering a personalized ornament such as this one may be a helpful way to honor a loved one who has passed. More traditional ideas, such as lighting candles, or leaving a chair open at the table during the big holiday meal, may be other ways you may feel more comfortable honoring someone you have lost. 

Decorate Your Loved One’s Burial Site

If possible, travel to your loved one’s gravesite, and leave flowers or holiday decorations there. This is one way to show your care for someone who has passed. Fresh flowers, wreaths, notes, and photographs are usually allowed, but you may want to check the rules and regulations of the burial site before you make any plans. Be sure to decorate with weather-proof decorations if at all possible, and make sure to secure all decorations to the ground so they don’t blow away. Check out this article for more information.

Pass Down Your Family Member’s Legacy

If you have had a family member pass away recently, sometimes it seems that all of our focus is on the fact that this person is gone. Try to focus as well on the life that this person lived. One way to do this is to tell your kids or younger family members about the life this person lived. Tell them the stories they told you, crack open those photo albums, and re-create some of the activities they loved doing. Did your aunt love to play softball? Teach your little cousins how to play catch in the yard, and tell them about your aunt’s love for softball. Try to keep their memory alive as best as you can, and do your best to remember the wonderful life they lived. For tips about talking to family about death, check out this Safe Harbor article. 

Conclusion

Over the past several years it has been hard for all of us, especially for those of who have lost family members and friends this past year. While it may be hard to celebrate this season without those loved ones physically present, keeping them in your hearts this year will bring you peace. Of course, grief does not stop during the holiday season, but your loved ones likely would have wanted you to enjoy the holidays no matter what, so try to celebrate this year while keeping your loved ones in your heart, as well as being grateful for the family and friends you still have with you.

You can also go to Safe Harbor International Ministries web page to listen to our latest podcast show for free about “Processing Grief During the Holidays” with special guest Mikela Hallmark, MS, LPC who is a therapist and Clinical Director of a Counseling Practice in Atlanta, GA. This episode will definitely help you understand your grief and identify healthy ways to work through it during this difficult holiday season. To listen to more of our shows please go to Safe Harbor IM

Written by Jackie Ebel, blogger/Safe Harbor International Ministries. For more articles, visit our blog page at https://safeharborim.com/articles/.