Holidays After Loss: Honoring Your Loved One During The Holidays
The holidays are a joyous time of year for many individuals, but they can also be emotional if it’s your first season without a loved one. While your loved one may not be physically present during this time of year, there are ways to keep their memory alive and honor them during the holidays.
Donate Something In Their Memory
Donating something in your loved one’s name is a beautiful way to honor them during the holidays. You can send a monetary gift to a foundation or nonprofit they supported or another organization that meant something to your loved one. You may also consider donating to an organization that funds research or treatment for an illness that may have affected your loved one, such as the Alzheimer’s Association or the American Heart Association.
If a monetary donation is not within your budget this season, consider volunteering your time and services with a nonprofit. Not only is volunteering a way to honor your loved one, but it’s a rewarding experience to enjoy with your family and friends while helping to improve the lives of others.
Save Them A Seat
Even though your loved one can’t physically join you during the holidays, you can still welcome their spirit and presence into your space. If you have a traditional holiday dinner, consider leaving their place at the table open as a memorial of them. Otherwise, you can honor them during your family gathering by cooking a favorite meal, creating a specialty drink in their name, or raising a toast to them before you eat.
Share Your Memories
Sharing stories and memories of your loved ones is the best way to keep them at the forefront of your holidays this season. Share their legacy for years to come with some of these creative ideas:
- Share stories before a meal. Ask everyone to go around the table and share a memory of your loved one before you eat. If you have a large family, ask one or two members to share a story, then ask different members every year to keep the tradition going.
- Set up a private Facebook group. You can set up a private Facebook group only visible to you and your loved ones. In this group, you can share your favorite stories, photos, and videos of your loved one. This group can stay active all year long, and then during the holidays, you and your family can gather and reminisce about everything together.
- Put together a scrapbook. Like a Facebook group, a physical scrapbook is another way for you and your loved ones to share memories and photos. You can keep it on display year-round and look at it whenever you miss your loved one.
Working With Visiting Angels
Watching a loved one enter the final stages of their life is a difficult thing, but it’s not something you have to do alone. Visiting Angels designed our End-of-Life program to help families and seniors during this challenging time.
With End-of-Life care, professional caregivers provide compassionate palliative care services to keep seniors at peace while emotionally supporting their families. While this is not a hospice care service, our caregivers can work alongside hospice teams to provide relief assistance that complements the hospice service.
Send us a message if you’d like to learn more about our End-of-Life program or any other at-home care services.