A Place at the Table

Christmas is built on the people we love. So when someone is missing, it can feel like the whole season is pointing at the gap.

Every year, grief coach and funeral celebrant Matt Ball hears the same question from grieving people: how am I supposed to do Christmas without them? He has asked it himself, since his dad died.

A Place at the Table offers a different way of doing Christmas after loss. Not pretending they were never here. Not letting the loss swallow everything. But giving the person you miss a place. Remembering them, talking about them, and showing your love for them, while still enjoying the people who are here with you.

Inside, you'll find:

• Why Christmas hurts so much, and why that isn't you doing grief wrong
• Ways to remember them, express your love, and honour them at Christmas
• How to talk to your family before the day, so nobody is left guessing
• What to do with the cards, the presents, the decorations and the empty chair
• Getting through Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the moments that catch you
• What to say when other people don't get it
• The days after, New Year and January

Warm, honest and practical, with short chapters that each end with something to try and a question to sit with. Easy to read on a hard evening, and a kind gift for anyone facing Christmas without someone they love.

Whether this is your first Christmas without them or your tenth, this book will help you find a place for them at your table.