In a new Baltimore Sun article on managing grief during the holidays, Professor Robert Rubinstein, sociology and anthropology, offers advice for mourning families on how to make it through the season. “It’s a very difficult time,” he recognizes, before continuing, “That’s not to say people can’t have great holidays.”
Rubinstein’s research focuses on older adults’ experiences of loss and grief. He offers his impression that, “People do tend to take care of each other,” around the holidays, as they share memories of deceased loved ones, such as favorite traditions or recipes. Rubinstein notes that often younger generations worry more about the grief of a widowed parent instead of their own. He recommends that those in mourning take opportunities to speak about the deceased, suggesting, “A public expression of grief and feelings about it is a good thing.”
