Bereavement, Death of a Sibling

Managing Holiday Grief

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Managing Holiday Grief It was Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, the first Thanksgiving without my brother, just months after a drunk driver had ended his life. I needed to get some shopping done and I found myself at a mall. The instant I stepped inside, I was enveloped in holiday atmosphere. Everything shone and glittered, music rang out, scents of pine and cinnamon candles mingled with the smell of perfumes being sprayed on shoppers in the department stores. Delight hung in the air. But I was feeling holiday grief. It felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I couldn’t […]

Bereavement, Complicated Grief

A Different Approach to Holiday Grief

Monday, November 21, 2022

Holiday Grief is Hard Holiday Grief is Hard. It just is. Emotions are heightened, and some grievers find themselves shunning holidays, or perhaps sitting sadly by and muddling through. But this does not work well for many grievers who often end up feeling even worse after the holiday has come and gone. If this sounds familiar, perhaps another approach will works better you this year such as finding special ways of remembering, honoring — and including — lost loved ones. You could start by setting-up a special area for candles representing lost loved ones that you light throughout the holiday […]

Death of a Spouse, Your Grief

A Widow Remembers the First Year of Holidays

Monday, November 10, 2014

Yes, they’re coming! We can’t hide, it’s inevitable. The holidays are here! Although my young children were grieving in their own ways, they looked forward to Christmas, presents, decorations, and celebrations. My oldest daughter was in second grade and my youngest was in kindergarten. This was the first year of holidays without their father. They participated in all their class activities for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas that year. In their grief, these special days in school appeared to give them relief, joy, and laughter. For me, in my first year of widowhood, I despised the holidays coming. I wasn’t looking forward to any of them! […]