Just Enduring Offers Holiday Remembrance Ideas for Bereaved Families

St. Louis, MO, December 24, 2024 --(PR.com)-- The holiday season, deemed the most wonderful time of the year, is a difficult time for bereaved families. After the heartbreaking loss of their infants, Co-founders Ben and Lara Gillham and Nick and Martha McGeehon started Just Enduring, a nonprofit organization that gives bereaved parents the immediate resources and support they need to navigate their journeys of grief.

“During the holiday season, the ache of loss can feel especially profound as we remember the joy our children brought into our lives,” said Martha McGeehon, Co-founder of Just Enduring. “Just Enduring exists to remind bereaved parents that they are not alone, offering guidance and a community of support as they honor their children in meaningful ways. Our goal is to help families create memories that include their child, even in their absence, and to offer comfort in knowing their child will always be a part of them.”

Here are thoughtful ways parents can include their children in holiday traditions.

#1. Sign holiday cards with the family name or include the child’s name. Both the Gillham and McGeehan families choose to include their children by signing cards with “Always Jackson” or “Always Everly,” respectively.

#2. Decorate with ornaments that are of significance. They can even be hung on a tree put up in memory of a son or daughter. The Gillhams put an ornament on their Christmas tree in memory of Jackson, and the McGeehons gifted ornaments to friends and family for their first Christmas without Everly.

#3. Bring a framed picture of your child to include in pictures with Santa. The McGeehons took a framed picture of Everly for Santa to hold. In the following years, they had Everly’s siblings hold a stuffed teddy bear in her memory.

#4. Hang a stocking for a child who passed away among stockings for the rest of the family. For Jackson, the Gillhams have a special stocking in orange, his favorite color. They fill it with gifts that can be donated to kids in need. The McGeehons ask their friends and family to do an act of kindness in Everly’s name and send them a letter about it, which they put in her stocking and read over Christmas dinner.

For additional ideas on ways to honor children during the holidays, please visit
justenduring.org/living-and-loving-after-child-loss-blog/celebrating-the-holidays-when-someone-is-missing/.

Just Enduring offers a comprehensive range of resources for bereaved parents. These include:
• A detailed step-by-step guide of what to do,
• A parent’s guide to sibling grief,
• The A Parent Like You program, which connects bereaved parents,
• Counseling resources,
• Books on grief and child loss,
• And much more.

To access these resources and receive support, please visit justenduring.org/resources-for-bereaved-parents/.

About Just Enduring

Just Enduring is a nonprofit organization founded in 2020 by grieving parents and medical professionals that provides grief support to families, friends, and caregivers facing the loss of a child. Through comprehensive resources and a compassionate community, Just Enduring connects bereaved parents, helps families navigate life after child loss, and inspires hope. For more information and access to resources, please visit justenduring.org.