While families may be enjoying spending the holiday together, this can be a difficult time for those grieving over deceased loved ones.

Grief can be a lifelong event, and for those who don’t enjoy the holidays because of the loss of a loved one, there are ways to try to cope with this loss and create new holiday traditions. St. Croix Hospice Admissions Coordinator Nurse Dan Scheuermann says you can start off simply by acknowledging that the holidays will be different and difficult. You can decide which traditions you want to keep and those you want to change, and possibly create a new tradition in memory of your loved one, “But ultimately in order to process things, and it doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s grieving per se it’s anything, you need to share it, you need to put it out there. It needs to be vocalized and heard by yourself and others as well as somebody else. And in order to nurture good relationships with people you have to be able to have them understand you in some sense and it helps you to be understood.”

One thing to note when communicating about your grief with other people is that they may not be grieving the same way as you, and they may not want to spend the holiday the same way that you do. There are many different ways to respond to this grief, from making a memorial ornament or decoration to skipping the holidays entirely. However, if you are in suicidal crisis or emotional distress you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. You can also call or text the Iowa Helpline at 1-855-800-1239.