Blue Christmas is a day in the Advent season marking the longest night of the year. Some Christian traditions hold a service that honors people who have lost loved ones and are experiencing grief. Saint Mary’s held its second annual Blue Christmas Memorial Event on December 18 to remember colleagues that, in 2024, passed while serving the Saint Mary’s community.
Saint Mary’s marked the hospital’s second annual Blue Christmas event on December 18.
The Blue Christmas service also coincided with the winter solstice, December 21. Historically, the winter solstice has been celebrated globally as a time of renewal and rebirth as it marks the return of light after a dark period.
Held in the auditorium, the event was an idea born from the Inpatient Rehabilitation Team’s desire to remember a beloved colleague who passed away in 2023. On this day, Saint Mary’s remembered five colleagues lost in 2024.
Manager of Spiritual Care, Amy Mickolite, guided the service while colleagues shared readings and spoke about those being remembered. Family members were also in attendance.
In 2023, a special space was created on the Saint Mary’s campus, adjacent to the flagpoles, to remember colleagues who have passed, since 2020, while serving at Saint Mary’s. It is meant to be a place for staff and families to visit, take time to remember and reflect. Pavers were installed to guide visitors to an area where a monument, which will hold small placards inscribed with the colleague’s names and departments, will be erected. Benches and landscaping will also be installed in the spring.