Coping with special occasions

UK Helpline: 0 345 123 23 0 4 | www.tcf.org.uk Some of us find new ways of marking our child’s life at major cultural or religious celebrations. This could be by starting a tradition, by volunteering, doing a random act of kindness, or making a donation in their memory. “In my faith tradition, the women of the family are expected to perform certain cleaning tasks and food preparation for festivals. Even though I didn’t feel like it at the time, I am glad that I made the effort. It has helped restore the rhythm of life to our household.” Rebekah Overall, Christmas makes the biggest splash on the calendar, being a secular, religious and commercial event that also builds up long beforehand. Visit the TCF website closer to the time for specific advice and support available. It is worthwhile preparing ourselves for the arrival of the New Year. The very idea of facing a new calendar year without our child can feel significant. The first occasion we step into a year without their presence may be particularly painful. We may want to plan how to occupy ourselves at this time. Holidays Holidays may have been special occasions on our calendar. Figuring out what to do about holidays now that we are bereaved of our child can be a challenge. Much will depend on our personal circumstances and whether we are alone or expected to holiday with family members or a partner. In the early years, we may feel unable to go on holiday at all, or there may be favourite places that we can’t face visiting for a while, or we may want to retrace our steps and feel close to our child as we revisit locations of happy memories. Home can feel a safe haven. It may be sensible to take our first holiday somewhere close, so that we have the option of returning early if we need to.