My mother passed away less than a month before Christmas. I remember how difficult it was to try to carry on with normal Christmas festivities.

Some years later, my dad passed away in spring. When attending a grief class, we were given a hand-out for a candle ceremony. I thought it was a very good idea, but it seemed to be written for any faith or no faith. I felt the “hope” candle could hold a different meaning for Christians. So I changed the script for that part, reworded some other things and made some changes in the way it was carried out.

If you have recently lost a loved one, download a script of the ceremony.