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Hope for the Holidays
The holidays are stressful for most of us, even when we aren't grieving the death of someone we love. Added on top of the normal holiday stress, grief can make the holidays even more difficult. We hope that some of the resources here will help you through this holiday season.
General Grief Articles
William Worden's "Tasks of Mourning" is one of several models of grief. This article reviews these tasks and how the holidays can actually help you work through your grief.
"Using the Tasks of Mourning to Soothe Holiday Heartaches"
"Dealing with Grief in the Holiday Season" talks about the combination of holiday stress and grief and offers some helpful information.
"The Three C's of Coping with the Holidays" gives concise recommendations for the holiday season.
Children, Grief and the Holidays
Many families struggle with how to help the children in their lives understand the loss, grieve and recognize the holiday season.
"Helping Your Child Deal with Death" offers an overview on how to talk to children about death and grief.
"Children's Developmental Stages and Responses to Grief" reviews how children of different ages understand death and begin to grieve.
 | Helping Children Through the Holidays - 21KB |
| Healing Holiday Rituals for Grieving Children - 24.5KB |
 | Remembering Books for Children - 59.4KB |
New Traditions and Suggestions
The holidays will not be the same this year and it might feel strange trying to follow the same traditions this year. Your celebration of the holidays this year might include some new rituals and traditions. Here are some suggestions. It is important to realize that what you decide to do this year, is not what you have to do forever. It is just this one year and next year you can do something different.
| Candle lighting Ritual for Holidays - 21KB |
Rituals must be very personal and can be different for different members of the family. These articles lists some more ideas.
- http://www.helpafterloss.com/GriefRituals.htm
- http://www.suttervna.org/support/support_holidaygrief.html
Preparation is key when it comes to coping with the holiday season. The more you can prepare and think ahead of time about the upcoming holidays, the easier it could be for you.
Take a few minutes and think about what traditions are meaningful to you and is it important to incorporate them this year. Sometimes we have traditions during the holidays that may or may not be ones we like to keep. Take this opportunity to evaluate what you feel you "have" to do and what you feel you can "stop" doing. Download our "Holiday Job List."
It can be helpful to also think about which people can be supportive of you and which situations might be difficult for you. Create your "Personal Holiday Plan".
It is expected that you will have moments during the holiday season when you are feeling sad and depressed. Thinking ahead about ways you can comfort yourself or be comforted by others can be helpful. Spend some time now considering "Things I Know Will Help Me When I'm Down".
Donor Family Newsletter Holiday Articles
The National Donor Family Council's quarterly newsletter, For Those Who Give and Grieve, has many good articles about coping with the holidays while grieving.
- Holiday 2011 Issue
- Holiday 2010 Issue
- Holiday 2009 Issue
- Holiday 2008 Issue
- Holiday 2007 Issue
- Holiday 2006 Issue
- Holiday 2004 Issue
- Holiday 2002 Issue
If you would like to speak to someone in Family Support Services, please call at 1-800-366-6771 or email us.
Help Gift of Life Family House continue to keep families together. Bring them out of loneliness and isolation by welcoming them to a warm home waiting with your support.
