During the holidays, many people search for ways to honor a lost loved one. For those grieving a lost loved one, the holidays can be a difficult or bittersweet time. No matter how much time has passed, the holidays are times when we especially miss those we've lost. The holidays are a season to be surrounded by friends and family who care so deeply for us. When you're missing someone, it can be hard to celebrate without them. Here are some ways to honor someone you're missing this holiday season.

Honoring Lost Loved One

Light a Candle

Candles are cozy during the wintertime and a candle dedicated to someone you're missing will especially warm your heart. Light the candle whenever you're missing them extra, like when you're decorating the tree or baking cookies, and you'll know their love is always close. Even though they may be gone, a candle allows them to still bring light and warmth into your home during the holidays.


Create an Ornament

Craft an ornament in their honor. It could be using a photograph of your lost loved one or an ornament in the shape of something they loved. Display the ornament prominently on your tree. Each time you see their special ornament, you'll be reminded of the holidays you spent with them. Or if you have ornaments that belonged to them, now is a great time to incorporate them to your own tree. Decorating with little reminders of your lost loved one will hopefully bring a sense of peace as you'll feel like their spirit is there along with you.


Display Photos

While you're decorating for the holidays, create a photo display of your favorite photos of them. Make a little space dedicated to honoring their life. It's proven that looking at a photo of someone you love can help ease pain! Each time you're especially missing them, you can spend time looking at their photos and hopefully it will bring a sense of peace and comfort.


Craft a Pillow or Blanket

During the winter months, we bring out the extra warm blankets and pillows. If you're crafty, you can make a blanket or pillow using their clothing. You can snuggle up with their special pillow whenever you wish you could get a big hug from them. Nothing warms the heart and soul quite like wrapping your arms around someone you love. When you can't do that, snuggling a pillow made from their shirt is the next best thing.

Instructions to make a pillow out of a shirt here: https://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/make-and-decorate/crafts/how-to-make-throw-pillows-out-of-old-t-shirts



If your lost loved one had a cause that they particularly cared about, spend some time volunteering this holiday season in their honor. It could be volunteering for a soup kitchen or raising money or goods for a homeless shelter. You'll feel good knowing you're making a difference in the world in honor of your loved one. You know they'd be so proud of the good work you're doing.


Acts of Kindness

This holiday, some random acts of kindness could be the perfect way to honor someone you're missing. You could pay for someone's meal, bake cookies to give to your neighbors, or send out handwritten cards. There are endless possibilities and there are so many free acts of kindness! Just knowing you're brightening someone's day is a beautiful way to honor a lost loved one.

Here's one of our blog posts with free acts of kindness: https://withyoulockets.com/blog/10-random-acts-of-kindness/


Continue Traditions

If your loved one had holiday traditions they did every year, one way to honor a lost loved one could be incorporating their traditions into yours. You'll feel like they're there with you. It could be watching their favorite Christmas movie or making their favorite holiday food in their honor. This allows you to keep their memory alive as each year you complete their traditions. You could even create your own tradition in their honor.


Share Stories

When family and friends gather together for the holidays, spend some time reminiscing together about your lost loved one. Share stories from their life and pass around photos. When many people are missing the same person, the holiday could be a good time to heal together. You might even hear a story that you'd never heard before! You'll feel like your lost loved one is right along with you as you celebrate the holidays. You could even write down everyone's stories and create a memory book in their honor!


Take a Trip

If there's a place that your lost loved one especially loved to visit during the holidays, now could be a good time to visit. You could turn it into a holiday tradition! Whether it was their hometown or a special restaurant, taking a trip there could be a good way to honor their memory.


Make a Toast

When friends and family are gathered for those cozy holiday dinners, make a special toast to your lost loved one's life. You could ask each person at the table to share a memory if they so wish. Tell your favorite story of your loved one. This is a touching way to honor their life. So lift a glass and here's to those we love. Honor a lost loved one with a special toast this holiday.

Home Videos

The holidays are a truly sentimental time. Watching home videos of past holidays or just favorite moments could be a good way to remember a lost loved ones life. You could even edit your favorite videos together to create a tribute video to share with those who miss someone who has passed. When you're missing someone, hearing their voice might bring you a sense of comfort during the holidays.


Wear a Locket

Tuck a photo of your lost loved one in a locket this holiday season. If you don't want to honor your loved one in a public way, you could wear their photo in a locket. This is a beautiful way to honor them. Each time you're missing them extra or wish they were there, you can just slip on your locket. You'll feel like their love is close with you through the entire holiday season. The best thing is that you can wear the locket all year. Each time a milestone approaches, you'll know that you can simply open your locket to see their face and have them with you.

We pride ourselves on being able to put your treasured photos into our lockets for you. No need to try to find a tiny, perfectly sized photo. We take care of all the hard part for you. Honor a lost loved one with a personalized locket.

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Clara Heart Locket