Dear Mom e-Letter
Remembering, Celebrating, Healing

Volume I, Issue 13
Christmas Without Mom
December 5, 2006

Dear Reader,

Christmas without Mom. Those three words elicit a sad knowing for those of us who have lost our moms. In the midst of swirling emotions connected to our favorite holiday traditions, you may face Christmas without the one who created the traditions we hold dear. Here are my tips for surviving Christmas without Mom.

First, think about your favorite ‘Mom’ Christmas memory—food, decorations, cookies—the things your mom did to make Christmas special. Smell the cookies, visualize the decorations. Use your senses to remember, and dwell for at least a few moments in those memories.

Next, celebrate one or more of those traditions by re-creating it and sharing it with your family. Bake the cookies, make the decorations, decorate the table. Pick one or more memories to re-create for your family when they gather for Christmas. A woman from Iowa told me recently that the first Christmas without their mom, she and her two sisters surprised each other by bringing the same salad to Christmas dinner—the salad their Mom made every Christmas.

Third, write a letter that captures memories you hold dear. Writing your mom a letter gives you a place to remember the simple things your mom did to make Christmas special. You could also write a letter to your children, telling them about your favorite holiday memories with Mom. Either way, you’ll have a memory on paper that you can hold with your hands and clutch to your heart. And that’s a letter that heals.

When you remember and celebrate the traditions of the one who created them in the first place, you’ll heal of a loss, and in a very special way, you’ll still have your mom with you at Christmas. And you might even feel like you’re getting a hug from her—something we all need this busy, emotional time of year.

Wishing you a very, Merry Christmas—and a hug from your Mom!

Dee Dee

P.S. Thank you for reading this issue of Dear Mom E-Letter and passing it on to friends and family so they, too, can sign up to receive it. You can also see recent TV interviews at www.kaaltv.com and www.kttc.com. I shared my coping tips for Christmas without Mom on TV stations in Rochester, Mankato, Sioux City, Sioux Falls and Casper in the past week, and I’ll post some of those on my web site after Christmas.