Lisa Henry, Bereavement Coordinator/Counsellor at Wakefield Hospice, shares her helpful tips around dealing with loss and bereavement at Christmas. Accept the right invites and find the right balance... "For people who are facing their first Christmas at home alone, the long dark winter nights can be a daunting prospect. However, for others, the dark nights present the opportunity to shut their curtains early without any questions from those around them and actually feel like a relief – what is strange to do at 5pm on a summer day is accepted as the norm in the winter." "It is however important to recognise the right invites, and not shut ourselves off completely from the outside world– it comes down to finding the right balance. If you can have a Plan A and a Plan B for your Christmas gatherings it may help you to navigate your way through the season, decision making then becomes determined by what you feel you can do at any given time – if on the day you really don’t want to go, that is fine, and there is no need to feel guilty. Be aware of the people who you can turn to and those environments in which you feel most comfortable." Read More: Surviving Christmas - Intro Surviving Christmas - Acknowledging Differences Surviving Christmas - Conversations Surviving Christmas - Five Festive Tips