We at James Hopkins Trust recognise that for families with a severely disabled, life-threatened, or life-limited child, as well as for those grieving the loss of a beloved child, Christmas can be a deeply emotional time. While the season is meant to bring joy, it often highlights the fragility of life, the weight of uncertainty and the ache of absence. For some, it’s about cherishing every moment, not knowing how many Christmases are left. For others, it’s navigating the season with an empty chair at the table and memories that feel both comforting and heart breaking.
Amid the joy and festivity, there’s also the pressure to create a “perfect” Christmas—an impossible ideal when grief, exhaustion, or caregiving challenges loom large. Yet, in these moments of pain and perseverance, there is also profound beauty: the love that endures, the hope that flickers and the memories that remind us of what truly matters.
This poem, A Christmas Like No Other, honours these families—those holding on tightly to the present and those carrying their loved ones in their hearts. It is a tribute to their strength, their love and the ways they find meaning and light during the holidays.
A Christmas Like No Other
Christmas lights twinkle, the world feels aglow,
Yet here in our hearts, there’s a weight we all know.
For while joy fills the air with a festive refrain,
Our season is laced with both beauty and pain.
Each bauble we hang, each carol we sing,
Feels more precious, more fleeting, than most anything.
For with every embrace, there’s a shadow of fear,
How many more Christmases will we have here?
And for some, the ache cuts sharper, more deep,
For the loved one they’ve lost, whose memory they keep.
An empty chair sits where laughter once rang,
The silence a song only hearts understand.
The world says “make it perfect,” a holiday dream,
But our days aren’t as easy, our efforts extreme.
From sleepless nights to a child’s fragile needs,
To grief that still lingers, and quietly bleeds.
Yet somehow, amidst it, we find what is real:
A love so enduring, no words can reveal.
For Christmas for us is a moment of grace,
A chance to hold tight in time’s hurried embrace.
It’s the soft sound of breathing, a touch, a kind gaze,
The beauty of now in the midst of the haze.
It’s the family that gathers, though weary they come,
It’s the flicker of hope when the day feels undone.
For those who still hold their child close and near,
And for those who hold memories of one once so dear,
We may not know how many more we will see,
But today, we have this one—and that’s enough for me.
For while Christmas is hard, it’s also profound,
Love’s truest light in the darkness is found.
We treasure each moment, each small, fragile spark,
A star shining bright in a world often dark.
Christmas for us isn’t flawless or grand,
But it’s life at its fullest, held gently in hand.
And even through loss, through the ache and the tears,
Love echoes forever—across all our years.
Support James Hopkins Trust this Christmas by becoming a regular giver and helping us provide year round free nurse-led respite to families in Gloucestershire that so desperately need it. We pride ourselves on making lasting magic memories for the children and their families. Memories of and with their precious child that they can treasure forever. The gift of a regular donation provides us with the stability to continue providing our specialist respite indefinitely. You can sign up to become a regular giver here.
If you are overwhelmed by grief this Christmas and want someone to talk to but aren’t sure who, please see a list of support available, curated by Mind.