Wholesale Holiday Card for Grief: The Winter Passage

A card made with love for those journeying with death and grief during the holidays. A poem that hopefully goes beyond the standard “thinking of you” fare. I wrote and illustrated this in memory of my grandmother, who died on Christmas Day in 2003. The contrast between the dying process and the holiday season can be so intense, so tender . . . it taught me a lot, and I wish there more cards to honor this space. The front of the card has a candle wrapped in oak leaves. Oak trees are known to hold onto their dead leaves through the winter. It’s thought to be their way of protecting the buds for the following spring. That sense of protection and care is what I hope comes through for recipients of this card. The poem on the front reads: The Winter Passage The tinseled world spun but we held a different vigil, a world inside the world. There were ornaments and a new year out there, somewhere . . . but we were here, in the space between life and after, listening. When we looked at each other, when we laughed or cried, it was with a love made clearer by limited time. — ✷ A6 (4.5” x 6.25”) greeting card with kraft paper, self-sealing envelope ✷ Printed on uncoated cream, 100% reclaimed, acid-free cotton paper made in the USA ✷ Envelopes are kraft paper and self-sealing (peel-and-stick closure)