The holidays are such a special time and most of us look forward to them all year long. They have different meanings for everyone but the one thing they seem to all have in common is family. Family gatherings, family meals, family memories.
When the holidays come, family is often front and center in our minds. All the ones that we love. Those that are here with us, and those that have left us too soon. I wanted to share this post from last year for those of you who are looking for a way to honor lost family and friends.
For my family, last year was a tough one. We lost some friends that meant so much to us. I felt it was so important to remember them in a special way for the holidays. I wanted to give their families a gift to honor their loved one. A gift that would last through the years to come.
I have always loved the “Christmas in Heaven” poem. While many find it extremely sad, to me it just reaffirms my belief that the person we lost, is always with us in one way or another. I find that so comforting! If you have never heard it…here it is:
Christmas in Heaven, what do they do? They come down to earth to spend it with you. So save them a seat, just one empty chair; you may not see them, but they will be there.
I have seen this poem used in many ways. Printed and framed, on coffee cups, on ornaments, wooden plaques, and plates. But being the crazy lantern fanatic that I am, this was the way I chose to go.
I knew I would want to put a chair, a small tree, and a few little things that were special to the person now in Heaven inside the lantern. I found that a lantern with an interior that is at least 8 inches wide works best. You can go smaller if you do not add a Christmas tree. I’ve linked to several below.
Since the poem talks about an empty chair, that is the one thing that is always part of the lanterns I have done in the past. I found some miniature chair ornaments that worked perfectly. Any craft store with a dollhouse section will also have a selection of rocking chairs or fabric easy chairs as well.
A friend of mine asked me to make three of these for her grown children who had lost their father years ago. They lived most of their lives in Texas so finding the miniature cowboy hats and boots in the dollhouse section was just what I needed.
Wanting the lantern scene to look “homey”, I added a pillow that I made from a piece of felt and poly-fil.
I made a rug by cutting a circle out of cardboard, covering it with double sided tape, and winding twine in a circular motion.
Next, I purchased the poem from the Etsy shop Ready2cut. Although you can find the poem in several different shops, I loved the Christmas tree shape. I printed it from my home computer and put it into a self-seal laminating pouch to keep it from fraying in the future. I used ribbon and snowflakes attached with double-sided tape to form a frame. Glue dots on each corner worked perfectly to attach the poem to the door.
Making your lantern personal is so important. I used miniatures and ornaments to accomplish this. The music stands you see were again from the dollhouse department. The electric guitar is an ornament which I found at a Christmas store. The Christmas signs in the background are ornaments from Hobby Lobby.
A Christmas Memorial Lantern is such a personal thing. There really is no right or wrong way to make one. I hope this post will give you some ideas on ways to put one together if you need to. If you are in a part of the world where browsing through shops is not an option right now, Amazon has most everything you need. The links below may prove helpful.
I hope you never click on this post. I hope you have no reason to this year. But if you do, I hope this poem gives you some small comfort as you move through the holidays.
Absolutely LOVE this sweet memorial lantern!! Gorgeous!!
Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Hugs,
Debbie
Thank you so much Debbie! I’m so glad. Have a great weekend!
This is so lovely. I’ve featured it at the TFT link party. 🙂
Thank you so much Pam! So kind of you!