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12 Days of Christmas (2017) – Day 8

 

10th Annual #12DaysofChristmas Giveaways (2017) at karenehman.com.

GRAND PRIZE!!!

One of you WHO COMMENTS ON ALL TWELVE POSTS AND ALSO SHARES ABOUT THE SERIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA will win a grand prize from me, pictured here.

10th Annual #12DaysofChristmas Giveaways (2017) at karenehman.com.

REMEMBER…in order to win the grand prize, you must leave a comment on all 12 posts. You can start with Day One HERE.

OK, let’s get started with an author whose latest book I had the honor of endorsing. The holidays can be hard for those who are grieving. Today’s guest has some ideas for those of you who long to reach out to someone struggling with sorrow this year. Meet our eighth day’s guest, Ashleigh Slater!

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3 Gift Ideas for the Friend Who Is Grieving

Maybe this Christmas, someone close to you grieves a loss. Perhaps it’s the death of a loved one. It might be unemployment, a difficult medical diagnosis, or the end of a relationship.

How can you tangibly love them this Christmas? Here are three gift ideas.

1. Grocery Store Gift Card

Loss makes everyday tasks, such as feeding ourselves and our families, harder. It’s more difficult to find the motivation, and sometimes finances, to go grocery shopping.

Give your friend a gift card to her favorite market. If it also delivers, that’s even better.

Why a gift card instead of shopping for her? I always go cheaper and don’t pick specialty items if someone else is paying. A gift card offers freedom from this concern.

2. Coffee Care Package

Sipping a hot drink on a cold day is often physically and emotionally comforting. I know it has been for me during seasons of loss. Here’s the thing: Although you can’t remove sorrow, you can provide a little bit of “normalcy” in the midst of grief.

Put together a basket of coffee goodies. Be sure to include her favorite blend, and maybe add a new coffee grinder. Pick out a mug that caters to her personal style, and throw in some biscotti or chocolate too.

3. Cozy Slipper Socks and a Fireside Read

After our miscarriage, I constantly wore the socks the hospital gave me. For some reason, they helped soothe me.

Bless your friend with a pair of cozy slipper socks. My current favorites are by Jane and Bleeker, and are available on Amazon.

Also include a hope-filled book from this list of fireside reads. If your friend is a reader, she may find solace in the written words of others.

While there are other gifts you can give a friend who’s grieving, these ideas are a few of my favorites.

Day Eight Giveaway

For the 12 Days of Christmas series, I am giving away one copy of my book, Braving Sorrow Together, and a bag of Thrasher Coffee’s Christmas Blend. It’s roasted in my local area. Last, slipper socks from Jane and Bleeker. I’m confident you’ll love these as much as I do!

10th Annual #12DaysofChristmas Giveaways (2017) at karenehman.com.


Ashleigh Slater is the author of the books, Braving Sorrow Together: The Transformative Power of Faith and Community When Life is Hard and Team Us: The Unifying Power of Grace, Commitment, and Cooperation in Marriage. She loves to combine the power of a good story with practical application to encourage and inspire readers. Learn more at AshleighSlater.com. Also, connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

 

 

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326 Comments

  1. I have a good friend that just lost her sister in law unexpectedly. These are such helpful ideas to help reach out to her.

  2. Thank you for the lovely gift ideas. grieving during the holiday season is so difficult I lost my husband, sister and my mother during the holiday season thank God different years but I sure miss them during the holidays I’m very thankful for my family.
    May God bless you and your family this Christmas season.

  3. Thank you so much for your book on loss. I too have lost my father unexpectedly. I am still grieving his loss in my life. You don’t know what it is to go threw this unless you go threw it yourself.

  4. Ah, this was so timely as I have a dear friend who lost her husband last year just before Christmas. So, I love these sweet ideas to bless her. Thank you!

  5. This is such a timely post for me! We are a CARES team doing ministry on an apartment community and have come across several of our neighbors recently who are really struggling with grief due to multiple circumstances. Thank you for sharing!

  6. Thank you for sharing. Right now it’s so hard for me to know how to reach out to two families. One who lost her husband in May after being married for so many years and then a good friend that lost her son in his 20’s just two weeks ago. Not sure what to say or how during the holiday season. Sending a Christmas card right after a sympathy card doesn’t match up for me.

  7. This year has been tough for many family and friends with loss of loved ones- one of which happened on Thanksgiving. I am really glad you shared this with us- these are some great ideas to show love and support over the Christmas holiday.

  8. My mom’s boss was just diagnosed with pre-menopausal breast cancer. What a sad thing to happen two weeks before Christmas! It makes me so glad that everyone in my family is healthy this holiday season.

  9. Such great ideas! My mom just lost her second husband this summer and I know she would be comforted by these things!

  10. Thank you for writing a book on grief and holidays. It’s something that is real. Most people who are feeling sorrow need others to lift them up when they cannot.

  11. Thank you for such warm and wonderful ideas to help someone who is grieving. It can be hard to know what to do even when you know you should (and want to) do something tangible to help. On the flip side, as someone who has walked through deep, debilitating grief myself, it can feel really isolating if no one “shows up” and shows they care.

  12. Thanks for sharing these ideas! My dad and next door neighbor both lost someone very close to them this year! Now I will know what to give them that will somewhat help!

  13. These are wonderful ideas. The slipper socks is my favorite. I love mine and wear them around the house year-round.

  14. I love this post! Thank you for the reminder to reach out to those who are hurting…and for the ideas of how to do it.

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