Surviving Holiday Grief

This particular swap is for Holiday healing. It is for those among us who have lost someone important around the holidays and are having some trouble feeling merry because of this. This is meant to help us process the feelings and move through them.

You will write one Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate this winter) letter or card or to your dear departed, or if you had something bad occur that causes you trauma at this time of year, please also participate.

You can say anything in there, the more you need to say, the more you say. It can be one line, or several pages. Start the letter to the departed one, not to your partner ie: "Dear Mom". If you are doing this to process personal holiday trauma, like divorce or rape, address it however you feel is helpful.

When you've finished the letter, write and include a small, separate letter or card of consolation for your partner's loss.

This swap is not the place to debate religious differences. Tolerance and understanding are key. If you get any card or letter at all, even if it just has one line on it, rate a five at least. This is a difficult, but useful task for most of us. Please keep your partner's confidences, as you want your own kept, between you two. Maybe this can be the beginning of some friendships??? Remember: be patient with yourself, and understand that processing grief takes time. I'm sorry for all of your pain and losses and hope this little swap is helpful.

I decided, due to the nature of this swap, to allow unrated newbies in, though I usually don't in my swaps. If someone get's flaked on, I'm willing to angel if you want. Though really, this swap isn't about receiving as much as it's about expressing your feelings and getting it all out.