Sadly, the grandfather of one of my best friends passed away a couple of days ago. It was exactly 19 years less a day after my own grandfather had passed away so it obviously reminded me a lot of our Christmas 19 years ago. It also made me think of others who have lost a loved one at Christmas time. And of course even if they would have passed away before Christmas time, the first Christmas in their absence is never easy. I’m definitely no expert on the subject, but here are the 11 tips I would give to anyone celebrating their first Christmas after losing a loved one.