Coping with Christmas – Some personal stories

"We need to talk about Christmas.”  This was said to me in September 2007 by a relative of my 1st wife Joanne who had died in January of that year. I politely refused to do this as I was not ready to think about it. I knew it was our turn to drive down to Devon for Christmas but was not sure if that was the right thing to do.

By December after discussion with my two children aged 18 and 20 we had decided that we just needed to spend the time together at home, remembering Joanne and to do the things that we felt we could cope with. What we found helpful was to do what was right for us and……..