Five Creative Ideas for Recognizing Grief Anniversaries

The anniversary of a loved one’s death isn’t easy, especially the first year after their passing. To cope with mixed feelings and emotions, families can grieve together and find creative ways to honor their loved one’s memory.

From visiting special places to making meaningful mementos, these are a few ideas for honoring a loved one on their grief anniversary.

1. Spend the Day Together

Your loved one was cherished by many people, so it’s likely that you’re not the only one coping with grief. Depending on your relationship with the deceased, you may have close relationships with their family and friends, as well. To support one another while honoring your loved one’s life, plan to spend the day with your family and friends. You can share stories about your loved one and maybe learn something new about them.

2. Decorate Their Gravestone

Another way to honor their memory is to clean up and decorate their gravestone. Whether it’s leaving flowers, a photo, poem, or another meaningful memento, this is a powerful way to cope with grief. However, before leaving any mementos at their grave site, make sure to check the cemetery’s rules regarding grave decorations.

3. Meet at Their Go-To Place

Was your loved one a regular at your town’s coffee shop? Or, did they have a favorite place to go to on vacation? Visit one of their go-to places to both honor their memory while feeling closer to them. It can be a solo trip, or you can invite your family and friends to grieve together.

4. Make a Craft Project

Making crafts is a great hobby for both coping with grief and creating something special to honor a loved one’s memory forever. One idea is to gather old photos and create a photo album or scrapbook. Or, make a blanket from their T-Shirt collection.

5. Do What You Love

Most importantly on this day — do something that you love. Whether it’s one of your favorite hobbies or a tradition you had with your loved one, do something that brings you joy. Grief anniversaries are never easy, so it’s important to do something that makes you happy.