Veterans Services and the Holidays

The holidays will be here again before you know it. While the holiday season is usually all about festivity and celebration, there are those that face loss during this time of year. Whether it’s a recent loss with a funeral at a funeral home in Oklahoma City, OK, or an anniversary of a past death, losing a loved one around the holidays is hard. This is especially true when the lost loved one was a veteran that bravely served our country. 

However, there are ways to make a holiday visit to a funeral home much easier. For example, you can continue the spirit of the season. Celebrating and remembering a lost loved one doesn’t have to end at the funeral home, even during the holidays. There are lots of ways bereaved can continue the spirit of the season and remembering the deceased at home, such as setting up a vase of the deceased’s favorite flowers, leaving an empty chair at the table, having a moment of silence before a meal, or putting up a special ornament on the tree. 

Giving back to your community is another great way to celebrate the season as well as turn your grief and loss into something positive. Grief can make you feel helpless, so doing community service or volunteering can bring back a feeling of control and positivity. There are tons of ways to volunteer around the holidays. Try caroling at a local retirement home, write notes to troops serving oversees, or host a toy drive for underprivileged kids. 

The holidays are traditionally about celebration and happiness, so it’s important to set aside time for grief. Whether this grieving time is at the funeral home or memorial service, or if it is a more private or informal moment at home or with family, it’s a good idea to make it know that it’s OK to be sad and grieve even during the holidays. You can observe a moment of silence, share memories of the deceased, or just spend a few simple moments remembering. Make a holiday funeral or memorial service more meaningful and personal by adding personal touches. You can send everyone home with fresh baked holiday cookies, hang up festive decorations, sing seasonal songs, or take a moment to acknowledge the season. 

Open the service to those from the community that knew the deceased or might want to offer support to the bereaved. Use various methods to promote the service and make it know that its open to the community. You can post on social media, post flyers, or make calls. An open service fosters seasonal goodwill and allows everyone that was touched by the deceased to acknowledge their loss and pay their respects. 

We are here to help if you have more questions about what to do with funerals and veteran services around the holidays, or want more information about Oklahoma City, OK funeral homes in general. We have years of industry experience that we would love to put at your disposal in your time of loss. Please visit us or give us a call for more information on what we can do for you.