This Hamilton-led group’s ornament exchange is helping people with their grief over the holidays [Video]

Christmas 2022 was a hard one for Kelly Sammon. She felt lost after her mother died unexpectedly on Dec. 20.

“I didn’t know where to go, I didn’t know what to do,” Sammon told CBC Hamilton.

Christmas is commonly thought of as a time for family, so losing a family “anchor” was hard, she said.

Seeking purpose, Sammon, who lives in Hamilton’s Crown Point neighbourhood, founded Grieving Gracefully, a virtual support group for people who’ve lost loved ones, in May 2023. This year, about 170 members from that group and beyond are exchanging holiday cards and ornaments.

The hope, Sammon said, is to “shine just a little bit of light in somebody’s life,” during what is often a challenging time for grieving people. 

She ‘needed the support,’ so started the group

“I started Grieving Gracefully because — I’ll be honest — I needed the support,” Sammon said.

There’s an abundance of reading material for grieving people, Sammon said, …