Grieving During the Holidays

How I keep my loved ones close during the holidays.

I do love the holidays, but amid the joy there is a great deal of grief. Both of my grandmothers were very fond of Christmas in particular, and a great deal of my memories of them are tied up in those celebrations. For example, my grandmother used to always send us Christmas gifts from the toy store in town where I now shop with my child. My grandma would watch the Macy’s Day Parade with us and take us shopping at the department store where she worked. We would sit with her and she’d teach me to sew little sachets filled with balsam so that the house would smell like Christmas. I miss those things—the little things—and while I love to celebrate, grief comes and goes in waves.