Christmas is a Time to Remember

Christmas is a time to remember someone special. Every year Alison and I attend a Christmas Remembrance Service which is organised by one of our Funeral Directors. It is a fantastic way to remember those we have lost at a time which is very much focused on families.

The service is non-denominational and is held at their main premises – in the garage (which always looks lovely, is painted white and is decorated with lights). All the churches and celebrants they work with are involved in the service. A local choir representing a nearby Primrose Hospice attend and help boost the the volume of the singing of Christmas carols. The centrepiece of the ceremony is the candle lighting which gives a beautiful warm glow to the room, and gives everyone a moment to reflect.

I particularly like the last two lines of the funeral poem, Think of Me, which always seem appropriate at times of Remembrance.

Remember me in your heart, your thoughts, and your memories of the times we loved, the times we cried, the times we fought, the times we laughed.
For if you always think of me, I will have never gone.

Our contribution to the event is to produce the Christmas Remembrance Service booklet. This is a small keepsake of the event and features the running order and the carols. The service itself achieves the perfect balance for everyone attending. It gives them a moment to pause and remember their loved one at a busy time of year.

A few more of our Funeral Directors are organising Remembrance Services this year. It offers an opportunity for to people to remember in a relatively informal way. We have met families who come back every year to remember someone special.

At some Christmas Remembrance Services the names of all those who have passed away that year are read out. At the service we attend there have also been some beautiful solos, a sea cadets band and a very emotional ‘Last Post’ to bring something different each year.

Christmas is a family time and we all feel the loss of a loved one more acutely at times like these. Even if you can’t attend a service like those described you can still light a candle for someone special and take a moment to remember.

Alison and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.