Families who have experienced a death often find that holidays are difficult and feel different than the ones in the past. It can be helpful to find ways during the holidays to remember the person who died and keep them incorporated in the festivities. During this time of year, we invite our grief support group participants to join us in decorating a holiday ornament or jar. This activity is centered around sharing memories of the person who died and keeping them a part of their family’s holiday tradition.

Participants are invited to choose either an ornament or a jar that they can decorate. Using strips of wrapping paper each person writes or draws things to help them remember and share about the person who died. This can include holiday memories, favorite memories from throughout the years, or things they miss about them. Participants are invited to share their memories with each other and then fold them up and place them inside the ornament or jar.

Now comes the festive part! You add lots of different colored glitter and ribbon. We encourage participants to get creative and have some fun with this! Many families who have attended Bo’s Place for several years have a collection of ornaments or jars and look forward to making a new one each year.