Happy holidays? Our newest Tip Sheet helps families navigate the winter holidays with grief & COVID-19

When we’re grieving, everything can feel hard and unfamiliar. Add in the pandemic and how it’s altering our daily routines, plans, and ability to gather with others, and things can feel extremely overwhelming. Even though physical distancing doesn’t mean we can’t still find ways to connect, it’s hard to substitute technology for in-person hugs, tears, and nods of understanding. What’s more, the person we would have turned to for support in all of this might be the person who died.

The pressures of the holidays can make life even more challenging. While there are no right or wrong ways to cope during the holidays — especially during a pandemic — here are some tips to consider as you navigate this time of year.

Plan ahead. It’s so hard to plan anything right now, but it’s still helpful to talk with family and friends ahead of time to set expectations, limits, and hopes for the winter holiday season.

Help yourselves by helping others. Look for an organization or cause that inspires you to donate or volunteer. Need help deciding? Think about causes important to the person you’re grieving. You can also think about buying gift certificates to local restaurants and businesses that the person who died loved. 

Ask the kids. Talk about what’s important to them about this time of year. What memories do they have? What are they most going to miss this year? Not everyone has positive memories, so let them know it’s okay to talk about the hard ones too. 

Re-think traditions. When it comes to traditions, there’s no right or wrong way to do the holidays. This year, due to Covid, you might have to get creative and either rework the traditions you want to continue or create new ones.

It’s okay to have fun. Reassure your kids (and yourself) that laughing, playing, and having a good time doesn’t mean they love or miss the person any less.

You can download the entire Tip Sheet here.

Ways to Support The Dougy Center

Dougy Center programs are completely free to families and would not be possible without your generous support. There are many ways you can help kids and families who are grieving during this challenging season. Here are a few:

Help a grieving family today. Please consider making a year-end gift to help fund our peer grief support programs and resources for children, teens, young adults, and their families who are grieving before and after a death. Donate here.

Buy a Porsche Boxster Raffle ticket. Tickets are now on sale for 24th Annual Porsche Boxster Raffle and only 2,000 tickets will be sold. All ticket-holders will also be entered to win three $500 cash prize drawings. Participate here. Thank you to Porsche Beaverton.

Pick something on our Amazon Wish List. Help The Dougy Center with supplies needed for our peer support groups—both in-person and virtual. Your purchase will be shipped directly to The Dougy Center and put to good use. Find our Wish List here.

For more ways to help grieving families, visit our website. We are so grateful for your generosity, now and throughout the year!

Grief is as Unique as a Snowflake

All snowflakes are unique — no two are exactly the same. Because we all are one-of-a-kind, our grief is unique too. Even in families, people grieve in different ways. This activity helps identify our unique qualities and can be done individually or as a family. What are the things you miss about your person who died? In what ways do you express your grief? Download and print this activity sheet, and write your answers in the branches of the snowflakes.