Remembering Babies During the Holidays

Holidays are hard when you have lost a child. Your baby is still apart of your family even though they aren’t physically with you. They aren’t here to be in the pictures or to open the gifts. They aren’t able to frost the cookies or play in the snow. So how can you still keep them apart of your family traditions? These are a few of the things we have done to include Eleanor:

🧦 Get a stocking for your little angel with their name on it or their initial and hang it up with the others. That way you still see their name every time you pass it or when you sit down on Christmas morning to do presents.

💌 Write letters to put in the stocking. Or have your other kiddos draw pictures to put in there throughout December so then when you do stockings on Christmas morning you have something to open. We have done this for Eleanor. We also let family and friends write letters too if they wanted to. It was very sweet to see what everyone would have enjoyed doing with our little girl during the holidays. Many tears of joy were shed reading those.

🎄 Put an ornament (or 2) for your child that won’t physically be here with you. That way you see a picture or something that brings up a memory of your baby

🕯Leave a light on or light a candle in memory of your sweet one just to remind you that they are with you in spirit during the holidays. Eleanor’s name means light so we will be doing this, this year. It just has extra significance.

I also want to say if it’s too hard or gut wrenching to add your baby into the traditions don’t feel like you are less of a mother or you don’t care about them. People grieve in different ways. It helped my grieving to include Eleanor. If that’s something that would cause more sadness than joy then give yourself some space and remember your baby in the best way for you.