Making A Holiday Plan Activity
Anticipating a tough holiday without your loved one? Check out this quick guide to help you think through and make a plan that will help.
Making a holiday plan can help you prepare for the holidays after the loss of a loved one. Use the steps below to start thinking about and creating a plan to help you and other family members through the holidays.
Get Together: List the people you will be spending the holidays with. Who will be present for events, traditions, and celebrations? Call a meeting with these people to discuss a plan for the holidays. If you will be spending the holidays alone or with people far removed from your loss, complete the plan on your own.
Discuss Traditions: What rituals and traditions do you anticipate being the hardest? Allow each member of the group to share their thoughts. Write these events and traditions down.
Keep, Change, or Skip? Allow members of the group to discuss what they think will be most difficult about these events and brainstorm ways to support one another during these times. Finally, decide whether you will keep the event or tradition the same, change it a little, or skip it until next year. Write your plans down.
Discuss Roles and Responsibilities: What roles and responsibilities will need to be filled (i.e. who will plan the holiday meal? Who will get the tree?) Write down who will fill what new role? Make sure responsibilities don’t fall too heavily on one person, especially if that person is also grieving.
Finalize Plan.
This resource is adapted from What’s Your Grief. Visit https://whatsyourgrief.com/ for more activities and resources.
