This Hamilton-led group's ornament exchange is helping people with their grief over the holidays
CBC
Christmas 2022 was a hard one for Kelly Sammon. She felt lost after her mother died unexpectedly on Dec. 20.
"I didn't know where to go, I didn't know what to do," Sammon told CBC Hamilton.
Christmas is commonly thought of as a time for family, so losing a family "anchor" was hard, she said.
Seeking purpose, Sammon, who lives in Hamilton's Crown Point neighbourhood, founded Grieving Gracefully, a virtual support group for people who've lost loved ones, in May 2023. This year, about 170 members from that group and beyond are exchanging holiday cards and ornaments.
The hope, Sammon said, is to "shine just a little bit of light in somebody's life," during what is often a challenging time for grieving people.
"I started Grieving Gracefully because — I'll be honest — I needed the support," Sammon said.
There's an abundance of reading material for grieving people, Sammon said, but when you've lost someone, "I really just don't feel like we're even in the headspace to absorb that."
Sammon researched grief, and a common theme was that grieving people felt alone, so she decided to start a forum for them to be together. The group has events and book clubs, and Sammon hosts a podcast.
Roughly 350 members across Canada, the United States and United Kingdom pay a monthly subscription.
Sammon organized a smaller 50-person version of the holiday exchange last year that was only open to members. This year's event welcomed the public. Each participant gets an individual to send a card and ornament to, and Sammon said some people are making their own.
That's what Angie Hanson did. The resident of Valley, Neb., has a greeting card business called Butterflies and Halos that focuses on people who've experienced loss.
Hanson's one-year-old son died in 2006, and she lost her husband and brother to cancer in 2009.
She said the holidays are generally OK for her now, but the Christmas after her son died was particularly challenging.
"We didn't want to show up. We didn't want to do anything."
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