Ten Quotes About Death During the Holidays

Dealing with death is never easy – but it can be even more challenging during the holiday season, when others are celebrating life. For those facing the death of a loved one, grieving a recent loss, or mourning the absence of a long-lost love, Christmas, Hanukkah, and other holidays don’t always bring cheer and good tidings. Fortunately, there are ways of considering these occasions that acknowledge their importance while leaving space for mourning. Scroll down to read some of our favorite quotes on death and grief during the holiday season.

1.“There’s an empty chair at the table, and yet no one mentions my loved one who has died.” – Claire B. Willis & Marnie Crawford Samuelson

 

2.“The dark hangs heavily over the eyes.” – Gwendolyn Brooks

 

3. “Let your holiday grief be what it is. And let yourself — your new, grieving self — be who you are.” – Alan D. Wolfelt

4.“Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!” – Charles Dickens

 

5.“Every piece of the universe, even the tiniest little snow crystal, matters somehow. I have a place in the pattern, and so do you! Thinking of you this holiday season!” – T.A. Barron

6.“Let winter come and live fully inside you, so that you can retrace the loving path of heartbreak that brought you here.” – David Whyte

 

7. “Every time you hear a bell ring, it means that some angel’s just got his wings.” – Clarence the Angel in “It’s a Wonderful Life”

8. “Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.” – Peg Bracken

 

9. “Great souls die and our reality, bound to them, takes leave of us.”
– Maya Angelou

10. “I discover that grief means living with someone who is no longer there.” – Jeanette Winterson