Contact: Kathy Leonard, Editorial Director, Church Initiative, kleonard@churchinitiative.org, 919-562-2112 ext. 130

WAKE FOREST, North Carolina, December 11 /Christian Newswire/ -- People who have experienced the death of a loved one often face Thanksgiving and Christmas with dread. Long-standing family traditions will never be the same; the hope and joy that normally accompany the season are replaced by depression and loneliness.

GriefShare, an international network of grief recovery support groups, has launched a special "Surviving the Holidays" website to offer practical tools and suggestions designed to help a grieving person construct a healthy approach to the holiday season. The website can be found at www.griefshare.org/holidays.

The GriefShare "Surviving the Holidays" website includes practical, actionable strategies that will help people in grief:

·         Reduce stress and anxiety

·         Remember and honor their loved one

·         Minimize loneliness

·         Establish new traditions

·         Help children adjust to new family dynamics

·         Help others in need

·         Focus on the true meaning of the holidays

"Most people who are grieving a death anticipate a dark, depressing experience as they face the weeks ahead of and during holidays," said GriefShare founder Steve Grissom. "We've designed this material to help restore hope and optimism to Thanksgiving and Christmas, even while in the midst of the deep pain of grief. The information is not complicated — it consists of simple steps a person can take to make the holidays manageable and even enjoyable."

About GriefShare

GriefShare is a network of nearly 5,000 churches worldwide equipped to offer grief recovery support groups. A searchable database of GriefShare groups is located on the web at www.griefshare.org. GriefShare is a ministry of Church Initiative of Wake Forest, NC.