By: Emma Rose Davis
For those who have lost loved ones, this season is a hard one. With Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching, I begin to feel the small void coming back into my heart where my sweet grandmother held such a special place. She passed away on December 19th of 2015, just 6 days before her most favorite day of the year.
With that, it is always such a bittersweet time of year. She made every day special but made the holidays magical. From stringing popcorn, to baking pies, and belly laughs that left us aching, the holidays were never without a glimmer in her eye. She held my heart and soul in her hands that almost always had red nail polish on them.
So, for anyone else feeling this way, you’re not alone. They are also looking down on you. Add the magic back into the holidays by creating new traditions or continuing the ones they started. For me, that means stringing popcorn from her air popper and making her cookie recipes. It will mean using all 200 of my Nana’s Santa Clauses to decorate for Christmas. Starting new traditions can be so much fun. Our family now buys a puzzle to do on Christmas Eve in honor of my grandmother. She loved them, and it is something that forces us to spend time together.
The holidays are not about what you have but who you have to spend them with. It is hard when we can’t spend them with all of our loved ones, but make the best of every situation and count your blessings.
Photo Credits: Emma Rose Davis