12 Days of Easy DIYs That Help Families Remember At Christmas
December 13th, 2017
Christmas and remembrance go hand-in-hand.
When we talk about the “true reason for the season,” many of these reasons are steeped in holiday remembrance: Family traditions that have carried over generation to generation, stories of holiday pastimes that are told around the fireplace, and even meals and movies shared that carry a special significance.
So with so much remembrance surrounding this festive holiday, it’s no surprise that families want to make their loved ones a part of the celebration… especially if they may no longer be around to take part themselves.
As funeral professionals, we are the go-to resource in town for all things memorials and remembrance. If you want to take that role one step further this holiday season, further connect with your community by helping them remember their loved ones this Christmas.
Here are some of our favorite crafts and DIYs that your funeral home could host as holiday workshops this Christmas to help your families embrace the true reason for the season.
1. Memorial Candle
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Candles have a special place in memorialization. They help us feel as though we are actively honoring or celebrating someone, by lighting a candle in their memory. One way that you can help families feel this connection even further is by helping them create a personalized memorial candle with their loved one’s photo on it, or even one of their favorite quotes.
2. ‘Save A Seat’ Sign
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Help families feel as though their loved one is still very much a part of the Christmas festivities with a beautiful sign that calls on people to remember. This beautiful plaque reads: “Christmas in Heaven. What do they do? They come down to Earth to spend it with you. So save them a seat, just one empty chair. You may not see them, but they will always be there.
3. Wooden Photo Ornaments
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Decorating the tree is one of the most important and memorable parts of the Christmas season. So why not help families make their loved ones a part of the decorating, even after they are gone. These simply to make photo ornaments are a beautiful addition to any Christmas tree, and help bring memorialization into the tree decorating process.
4. Christmas Memories Wreath
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Another great way to help families bring photos into their holiday decor is with a beautiful, one-of-a-kind photo wreath. This wreath could be made up solely of loved ones that families want to remember at Christmas time, or even of all of their favorite holiday photo moments – including photos with their loved ones around the Christmas tree or opening presents.
5. Remembrance Stocking
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It wouldn’t be Christmas morning without the opening of our Christmas stockings. Help families complete their family Christmas mantle display by creating a stocking that is truly representative of their loved one – because it is made with some of their favorite worn items! Encourage families to bring in their loved one’s favorite dress, jeans or even Christmas sweater, and help them make a personalized stocking that can hang on the fireplace for years to come.
6. Christmas Shirt Pillow Cover
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Speaking of ways to repurpose a loved one’s favorite clothing items, another great DIY that families can incorporate into their holiday decor is a Christmas Shirt Pillow Cover. This is an especially great craft to do with Grandpa’s or Dad’s favorite flannel or button-up shirt. You could even stick holly or pine cones into the pocket square to really help bring the Christmas spirit inside.
7. Holiday Photo Luminaries
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Bring light to the holidays ahead by helping families create beautiful picture frame luminaries, which work great as festive holiday decor or even as a personalized gift for others. Not only are these unique display pieces a wonderful way to brighten up the home around the holidays, but lighting these memorial luminaries would be a great activity for any family to add into into their Christmas Eve traditions.
8. “A Few of My Favorite Things” Ornament
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While we love the idea of a DIY photo ornament, like we mentioned above, a photo is not the only way to remember someone around the holidays. You could also make a wonderful ornament memento with some of their favorite items or pieces of clothing. In this tutorial, the author uses fabric shears from her late father’s different shirts and combines them all into a clear glass ornament to hang on her Christmas tree – complete with a personal note from her dad that she will always cherish.
9. Night Before Christmas Pillow
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For many families, the sounds of Christmas are just as memorable and important as the sights and smells. Maybe it was a favorite Christmas story that you used to get read before bedtime, or a favorite holiday song that you would always listen to while baking cookies. No matter what words they may have been, help your families visualize them on a personalized pillow that they can lay their head on the night before Christmas.
10. Holiday Card Book
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Over our lifetime, many of us save up a nice collection of greeting cards, whether it’s for birthdays, holidays, weddings, you name it. But we never actually do anything with these cards, other than when we run across them while moving or cleaning out old boxes. With this DIY, help your families put sentimental holiday cards from their loved ones on display in a beautiful book that they will actually flip through and look at each holiday season.
11. Sweater Letters
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One of our favorite ways to decorate for the holidays is to put some of our favorite festive sayings up around the house, like “Ho Ho Ho” or “Oh What Fun!” Help your families do the same – but with an extra special personalized touch, by adding some of their loved one’s favorite items onto the letters. This DIY is easy… simply grab something fabric that was special to a loved one (a blanket, a shirt, a stuffed animal, etc.) and cut out the shape of the letters you are creating. Next, just glue the fabric onto the letters. Voila! That’s it!
12. Year In Remembrance Video
Last but not least, help your whole community celebrate, honor and remember their loved ones at Christmas time by putting together a beautiful Year In Remembrance video, set to a cozy winter theme. With Life Tributes memorial video software, you can combine all of the photos of the loved one’s whose lives you celebrated in 2017 into one moving, emotional slideshow that you can play for families in a private service at your funeral home, or send them a copy to wish them a happy holidays and let them know you’re thinking of them.
To get started, click here to sign up for a FREE 30-day trial of Life Tributes today.
[…] Want some more holiday themed memorial ideas? Check out these 12 easy DIYs to share with families this Christmas. […]