Remembrance Tree Ceremony Dec. 6

Click the image to request your ornament via our secure portal.

One of our community’s most beloved, holiday traditions is the annual Remembrance Tree Ceremony, with hundreds participating each year for more than 25 years.  The 2020 ceremony will be hosted live and virtually on Sunday, December 6, at 2 p.m.

The event will be live-streamed on our Remembrance Tree 2020 Facebook event page. To participate, request your ornament using our secure, online form. Then, be sure to visit the Facebook event page and indicate you plan to attend. That way, you will receive notifications about updates and when the event goes live.

Anyone can request a memorial ornament. There is no fee for ornaments, but a donation–of any size–is encouraged. If you wish to request your ornament by phone, call 859-986-1500 or 1-800-806-5492 during business hours. Proceeds from the ceremony cover the cost of the ornaments and help fund all programs offered by Hospice Care Plus.

Although this year’s ceremony will be virtual, families can still participate during the Facebook Live event.

Although this year’s event must be virtual to comply with COVID guidelines, it will be as meaningful as ever. The Remembrance Tree ceremony gives the community a chance to remember loved ones during the holiday season by placing a personalized memorial ornament on a remembrance tree. Hospice Care Plus sponsors the event as part of its bereavement program, which provides grief support services to the community.

“We recognize that the holidays are a difficult time for those who have lost loved ones, even if the losses are not recent,” says Hospice Care Plus CEO Scott Thompson. “I hope the Remembrance Tree tradition will allow people to memorialize those loved ones and acknowledge and respect their absence.”

Lisa Knicely, who leads Hospice’s bereavement program, believes the COVID-19 pandemic may make grief during the holidays even more pronounced.

“A lot of people who’ve had a loss this year had to go through it without the typical supports. They may not have had the chance to mourn together with family and friends, or to participate in the rituals that help us have closure and say goodbye. It’s possible that will make the holidays more challenging this year. I’m hopeful that the Remembrance Tree, as a ritual and a ceremony, can help.”

The 2020 Remembrance Tree memorial ornament. The other side of the white card, which is visible beneath the ornament, will contain the memorial name.

Many families save and collect each Remembrance Tree ornament. The 2020 ornament is a round, transparent disk featuring a winter scene with a cardinal, and includes the saying, “I am always with you.”

The live-streamed ceremony will begin with an opening prayer and holiday music and continue with the reading of memorial names. Hospice Care Plus staff will place memorial ornaments on the Remembrance Tree as the names are read. Guests who participate virtually are invited to use Facebook comments to type their loved one’s name as it is read or to share a favorite memory. (This option is only available to those with Facebook accounts. You can still live-stream the event without having a Facebook account, but comments will not be possible.)

Guests may claim their ornaments on one of four dates in December. The pick-up will take place outdoors, socially distanced. We apologize, but we cannot ship ornaments.

• December 7 and 8 between 1 PM and 9 PM at our Compassionate Care Center (350 Isaacs Ln., Richmond)
• December 10 and 11 between 9 AM and 5 PM at our Berea Office (208 Kidd Dr.)

For questions or more information, contact us at 859-986-1500 or hospice@hospicecp.org.