Create new traditions

To help get through griefamplifying holidays, start a new tradition. “Ask your kids for ideas and give them time to plan,” suggests Roffe. You might say, “We know this year is going to feel different without Auntie’s Yule log. What do you think we can make together that she would have liked?” This can be empowering and assures a child that you won’t forget the loved one who died. They may also appreciate what Roffe dubs a “legacy-building activity,” like creating a memory box or planting a garden in that person’s honor.