Holidays are so difficult when you’ve lost someone you loved, aren’t they? It’s almost counterintuitive because it’s supposed to be a time of warmth, happiness, and togetherness. But all of those expectations can stand in stark contrast to the reality of your loss. At Cypress Lawn, we recognize your pain and want to help you express it while honoring the memory of your loved one.
If you have lost a friend or family member, and especially if they are laid to rest at Cypress Lawn, we want to invite you to our 11th Annual Holiday Remembrance Program on Wednesday, December 7th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM in the Tiffany Chapel at Cypress Lawn. The service will include beautiful musical selections, a memorial slideshow, refreshments, and holiday photos. We also invite you to hang a decorated ornament on one of our remembrance trees or light a candle in their memory during our candle lighting service. The event is complimentary and open to everyone – whether you lost someone this year or ten years ago. We feel our responsibility to your family extends far beyond the funeral service, and this is one way we can help facilitate healing for you.
We have seen firsthand the positive impact rituals and ceremonies can have on a person who is grieving. While planning and attending your loved one’s funeral is one important first step on the grief journey, many people find incorporating other “mini” ceremonies into life can also be helpful. Rituals bring a sense of order, meaning, and purpose. Most importantly, they give you the opportunity to press pause on the hectic, busy nature of everyday life so you can remember and reflect on what your loved one meant to you.
If you’re unable to attend our Annual Holiday Remembrance Program on December 7th, that’s okay – there are other ways you can commemorate the loss of your friend or family member. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Spend some time in a spot that was meaningful to you and your loved one. Maybe it was a park you used to walk through or a café where you shared coffee and conversation. Perhaps you can leave or take a memento that reminds you of them.
- Make a donation to an organization your friend or family member supported or a cause in which they believed.
- Create a scrapbook of items that remind you of your loved one.
- Watch their favorite movie or TV show or listen to a favorite song.
- Plant a tree or flower in their memory.
There are no real rules here – everyone’s grief journey is different. What is meaningful to you might not be meaningful to someone else. What’s important is whether or not it helps you remember your loved one and find a sense of peace and comfort.
Cypress Lawn 11th Annual Holiday Remembrance Program
Wednesday, December 7th
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Tiffany Chapel at Cypress Lawn
Please RSVP by calling (650) 550-8884 by December 1, 2016
To have your loved one included in the memorial slideshow, please email the photo and name of your loved one to photo@cypresslawn.com no later than Monday, November 28th
