You can play your friend’s favorite music or play their favorite games throughout the night, as well as saying a few words if you’d like. Parents and grandparents often go to great lengths to make our birthdays special. When they’ve passed away, their birthdays can remind us of all those loving memories.

Instead of presents, you could also tell guests to bring an object that reminds them of your loved one. During the gathering, you can take a few moments for each person to tell the story of their item (yes, like show and tell!) If you feel comfortable doing so, you can give a customized gift, like an engraved photo frame or wind chime. Write a sympathy note to go along with your gift, to let the family know how much your friendship meant to you. 18. Reflect on photos On your deceased sibling’s birthday, it’s common to feel grief and loneliness. Honoring the date of your sibling’s birth can help ease those emotions and give the day a more positive tone. 12. Have an adventure And you don’t necessarily have to stop honoring those days after your spouse has died. 1. Uphold traditions October 23rd 2017 I lost my soulmate of 30 years he passed away in front of me as I was performing CPR on him, his birthday is the 3rd of May, he was 54, as you probably can see why the month of May is so hard.At the end of the song, without fail, everyone sings... "and many more"...which is a family tradition that has been around for as long as I can remember (I think some other people might sing it this way but I've never met them) So I am on here to search for the right thing to do to honour her- visit her grave and spend a quiet few moments, go for a walk, buy her favourite cake and light candles, go out for dinner with small family gathering to celebrate it, raise a glass to her-there are so many options. If you want a constant reminder of your deceased spouse or partner, memorial or keepsake jewelry might be your best bet. And, you can find a nice piece at several price points. Here's what we recommend:

When you were kids, you and your sibling might have looked forward to blowing out candles each year on your birthdays. You can still celebrate your sibling’s birthday in this way, even though they’re no longer there to celebrate with you. Growing up, I thought this was how everyone sang the song until I started going to friend's birthday parties. Everyone would hit their big finish with “happy birthday to yoooou” and out of habit I’d find myself trailing off into a solo “...and many moooore…..errrr nevermind” As an adult, I've come to find the verse reassuring and I always sing " and many more"under my breath in hopes that my quiet wish might help to safeguard the birthday boy or girl's longevity. I know this is superstitious because lifehas taught me that “many more” is something we can never be sure of. Each and every birthday we have with our loved ones is a gift; I realized this when my mother received the diagnosis that changed her “many mores” to “one more.” The fact is I loved her and she loved me, she showed me nothing only love all my life. I don’t think there is any greater reassurance than that in life.Whether you do something to mark the occasion or not, your loved one’s birthday will always remind you of them. You’ll probably find yourself reflecting on past birthdays, gifts you gave your loved one, and celebrations you shared. Jump ahead to these sections: Find a local animal shelter, homeless shelter, or charity that’s in need, and ask whether they could use some assistance on that date. You can use a number of online services to find organizations in need of volunteers. You can even get your friends and family on board. Ways to Honor a Deceased Sibling’s Birthday I write poems for my own personal therapy. All my poems are true and are from feelings I've felt at some point. I'm a mother of 4 kids who are my world. When friends and family enter your home, encourage them to write down a memory they shared with your sibling. Have paper and pens available on the table next to the memory jar. Then, your guests can share their memories by putting them in the jar. 16. Traditional cake and candles

On your deceased loved one’s birthday, it can feel good to honor their special day or hold a memorial . But if your special person never enjoyed birthday celebrations, it could also feel unnatural. Oh I’m so sorry for this experience. In my opinion we sometimes really over-shelter kids when it comes to issues of death and grief, but I know each person has their own parenting style. Interesting that the conversation has been had with regards to the child’s grandfather – did your sister say why this was different in her eyes? All I can really say is that different support people are good for different things in our lives. We’ve talked a lot about assessing our support system and being thoughtful about who fills what role, most specifically here and here. It sounds to me like you conceptualize your relationship with your son and your grief in a way that is difficult for your sister to relate to. If this is the case, then it may just be that she is not the best person for you to turn to in grief. Although she may be a wonderful support person in many other ways, she may not be able to meet the grief support need. Obviously, you can’t give your loved one a present, but you can still buy them. If you want some good to come out of your loved one’s birthday choose a charity they would have supported thattakes donations other than money. Ask the organization what types of items they need and then tell the party guests who'd liketo bring birthday gifts to bring one of the items for donation.

You can make a donation to a local charity in your area, whether it’s in the form of items or money. Alternatively, you could donate to a crowdfunding c ampaign. When you sign the donation, state that it’s in honor of your parent or grandparent. 11. Volunteer Perhaps words like celebration, fun, and happiness are absent from your vocabulary these days but don’t rule out the possibility of having moments of laughter in celebrating and remembering your loved one. Set aside time for reflection and sad emotions, but also leave a little space for joy. Spend a moment thinking about your friend and how much they meant to you throughout the years. Just one moment of silence can often be enough to honor a deceased friend. 20. Throw a birthday party Your loved one's impending birthday may be looming heavy for their friends and family, but without acelebration to gather forit seems like the only alternative is to suffer alone. The idea of celebrating a deceased loved ones birthday might seem odd to some, which is one reason why those who want to recognize the day might be hesitant to speak up. But if you feel like spending the day with people, do something about it!