With Christmas just around the corner, we are preparing for the Christmas Memorial Tree one more time. This is the fourth year that the Blenheim Community Funeral Home will provide a Christmas Memorial Tree which is placed outside the Blenheim Post Office. On the tree we place ornaments with the names of people who have passed away, regardless of who their funeral service provider was. We do place an ornament for any family who we have been honoured to serve and we will replace all of the ornaments that were included last year, but if you haven’t had an ornament on the tree and would like one to be there, simply give us a call and we will place one for you or you can place one on the tree yourself. The only thing we ask is that you not place glass ornaments on the tree since it could become a hazard if it should fall and break.
Christmas time is an especially challenging time for people who have lost someone. We believe that when a death occurs, the community comes together to support families and the Memorial Tree is one more way to do that. I have been touched to watch people as they pass the tree and stop for a moment to remember. I hear the anticipation in your voices as you look for and find that one special ornament. And as I am placing the ornaments on the tree, I remember with great fondness, something special about each person and each family that we have served. Thank you for that opportunity.
We always put pamphlets out at Christmas time that talk about grieving through the holidays. A few people may pick one up but there’s really not a whole lot you can learn in a couple of pages so over the next couple of weeks I will talk about some ways to deal with the challenges that you might face over the holidays.
