I'm so sorry about your loss. I used to visit my Mom every Christmas; favorite season for both of us. I'll be spending it with my Dad this year. I cant speak for you but I could not bear to be alone this Christmas. Do you have family you could spend it with? But do what works for you. Take care. Scott

Yes we did still have our christmas , though it hurt bad , an we all cried. We knew deep down that Dad would have wanted us to have a nice christmas.

I know how you feel an i'm so sorry, the pain hurts I know. You will be ok.

We will have Christmas my sister loved Christmas that was her favorite holiday of all ,it want be the same with her gone but and Im sure there will be sadness from time to time but I feel I have to do this for her .My thoughts and prayers are with you .

Christmas and every "first" is so painful. The first Christmas w/o my son I did as little as possible except for what I was "forced" to do by my other kids. The next year we made gift boxes for the local AIDS hospice. Another year we did the Shoebox Project (Samaritan's Purse online). Last year--around 10 years out-- Christmas finally felt normal again. Bottom line, just do what you have to to survive. The day is only 24 hours long and you will feel a huge sense of relief when it's over and you have survived. Meanwhile, if you can get involved in something positive, it may help to make the day feel meaningful, even though not "Merry." Be expecting the cards that nevertheless will wish you a "merry Christmas"--they don't know what else to say and wish it would all go away for you--they don't get it unless they've been in your shoes. "As you approach the holidays, remember: grief is both a necessity and a privilege. It comes as a result of giving and receiving love. Don't let anyone take your grief away. Love yourself. Be patient with yourself. And allow yourself to be surrounded by loving, caring people." (Dr. Alan Wolfelt)
Take care, Carol, mom to Calvin and Jason

yes we still had the holidays and celebrated, but it was super hard trying to be happy and things just werent the same without dad and my nephew in 06. They died 6 months of each other.
Holidays will never be the same again, but we had to go on for the kids/grandkids.
Big hugs to you.

**HUGS**

I can relate, the first year i did not want to celebrate, and each year after that I say I am not going to but I always end up celebrating for the others

i am lost to, my mom died july 29,2008 and i am in bad shape,i used to love the holidays but i am rally dreading the holidays.i am going to make a stocking and put moms name on it and have all the family put thier favorite memory of her and then we will read them at christmas. iread that in a magazine, so i will try.

it will only be 2 months (dec 21) my grandfather said he didnt think he could do chistmass this yr but next we'll all vaction togeter..theres no kids the youngest is my cuzin (18)..I mean im still gunna spend time with my cuzin unle and anut on the 24 like we aways do..i dont think it will even feel like chistmass..my grandfather and twin cuzin liveing in FL for a month and 3 weeks so they wont be there (there way of escapeing) my mum,dad and I pretty much disided i'll have a stocking or a little gift but pretty much we all got shopping done in sept..i got them a new compture,they went half on me for my labtop..my mum didnt pay me 50$ so she would get me sumthing little..i dont want anything..dec 20th is my brithday i told my mum way befor we knew my nanny had cancer(we just knew she was sick) to tell my nanny i want her to come to the sound of music the play with us(she didnt want front row) but cuz its my brithday she said she would go.we never bought the tickets not cuz we thought she would leave us we just didnt..i know why now..my mum refuses for me not to go cuz i was so happy when my mum,nanny said yes also cu they didnt no the storie and i do..so were going in eraly 09..its gunna hurt we our going to do what we aways do when my mum ,nanny and i went to plays..lunch same place(same area everytime oddly)..i hope my nanny isnt to upset that we didnt has chistmass this yr..i hope she's all better now i hope she will see me still..us all oh dear now im crying agin..

the first year after losing gavin, my mom had thanksgiving because i said pretty please. for christmas we did not decorate, i did not wrap gifts. for my kids it was in bags. the second year, we did decorate and wrap gifts, i made the grave pillows out fresh pine for gavin, all 4 of my grand parents, and my mom's only sister who is deceased. my brother would not let me make one for my dad. christmas around the little ones is still very hard and so are the little ones birthday parties, but we go and put on a smile. {{{{{hugs}}}}} jan

I lost my 18 year old son in Iraq in May 2006 and I did not have Christmas that year. I tried to shop for my grandkids and when they played I'll be home for Christmas in Wal-Mart, I left my full cart in the middle of the store and left bursting into tears. Last year was ok but I am struggling with it again this year.

i too lost my grandson in iraq may of 2007 , thus will be the second time around without him not here , last yr we were all together , we had to be , we cried and laughed at all the silly things he did at christmas time , i have 3 other grandkids that i still have to care about too , but its so very sad and very hard , we still carry one , we hil don to each other for comfort , it will never be the same