Grief at Christmas – surviving and coping

Christmas can be a very difficult time for families who are grieving a loved one. If you will be missing someone you loved this holiday season, you may identify with others who have coped with grief at Christmas time.

• Christmas has been a painful time of year for Jonathan, since his husband died

• The first Christmas was a blur for Maria, after her son died in a road accident

• After Jamie’s dad died, Christmas was a quiet time for her family

• Christmas is a very difficult time for Carl, whose wife died on Christmas Eve

• Debbie’s parents died within four months of each other, making the first Christmas very hard

• After Donna’s husband died by suicide, she tried to keep Christmas special for their children

• Susan and her teenage son focus on being ‘selfish’ to get through Christmas after loss

• Christmas has completely changed for Matt and Joanna, whose twin baby boys died soon after they were born

• Mum-of-two Louise’s husband died after a three-year illness, just five weeks before Christmas

• Wynne lost her son Dan to pancreatic cancer and couldn't face Christmas without him at home

• Christmas is a time for Aimée to find new ways to remember her partner with new traditions

• Emma tried to keep busy at Christmas for the sake of her five children, after her husband died of cancer

• Bridget has developed back-up strategies to cope with Christmas grief, since she was widowed