Christmas is coming…

On one of my rare trips into town last week, I saw displays of Christmas crackers in TJ Hughes and was surprised – and a little shocked! – that it’s time to start thinking about the festive season already. To be honest, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Christmas is traditionally a happy time when families get together and it seems like every advert on TV paints a picture of the perfect Christmas that we should all be having. But in my job more than anybody’s, I know the reality is that for many of us, it’s a bittersweet time. If you’ve lost a loved one, this is often when you really feel their absence most. Memories of past Christmases fill our thoughts and there’s a feeling that we can’t – or even shouldn’t – enjoy the festivities like we used to now they’re not there. This is particularly poignant if this is your first Christmas without them.

I know that for some families, there’s a lot of comfort in knowing at this special time, that they’re still keeping the memory of their special person alive by marking the occasion in some small way.

We have a number of ways in which you can help honour your loved one’s memory and show that they’re still at the forefront of your thoughts, at Christmas and all year round. And that though they’re gone and time marches on, you’ll never forget them.

As autumn sets in and the leaves fall, maybe you’d like us to give some attention to your loved one’s resting place. We offer a full range of grave tending services throughout the year; and at Christmas we like to lay a festive 12” holly wreath. All grave tending services include a before and after photo with a written report on the condition of your memorial to give you peace of mind.

If time and weather have played havoc with your memorial, our skilled craftsmen can clean and restore it to its original state by replicating the original lettering or re-fixing it if it’s come adrift. Or if you’d like to give your memorial a personal touch and a reminder to passers-by how beloved your friend or family member is to you, we can add new inscriptions, or perhaps an image like books, hearts or a poignant and touching photo plaque.

So if you’d take some comfort from knowing that you’ve made time to remember that special friend or family member at this busy time of year, give me a ring to have a chat about grave tending options. We’re now ready to start taking orders. It may still feel too soon to be planning ahead to December, but our diary fills up fast and weather often slows us down at this time of year, so perhaps it is time to start thinking about Christmas after all…