BILLINGS - The holidays are supposed to be a joyous time with family and friends, but if you've lost a loved one they can be just the opposite. Rocky Mountain Hospice holds a luminary remembrance service every year to honor patients who have passed, and comfort those left behind.

"My Grandma Rosie passed away December 14th of last year." This isn't Jodie Nava's first Christmas without her grandmother, but she'll tell you it still isn't easy. Of all the difficult days, Christmas is the hardest for her family. "Christmas was her favorite holiday." says Nava. Even family gatherings are difficult for the Nava family, because someone is missing. "The intensity of a loss is so heightened at the Thanksgiving meal, and at Christmas morning. Even shopping, you have one less person to buy for." says Chaplain Richard Vettelbecker with Rocky Mountain Hospice.

That's why Rocky Mountain Hospice holds their Luminary Remembrance service every year around this time. Thursday night they read off the names of 250 people who have passed. "We honor their memory through hanging hundreds of ornaments on the Christmas tree." says Vettelbecker. Chaplain Vettelbecker helps families make it through their tough time by encouraging them to remember and know they're not alone. "We encourage people to speak their grief, to speak their loss." "You just have to remember you can still talk to her, she listens." says Nava. Vettelbecker says one of the best ways to cope around the holidays is to be with family and friends, comforting each other and remembering together.

If you need help getting through a loss, Rocky Mountain Hospice holds bereavement sessions on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at their center in Billings on Overland Avenue. They are open to the community and a counselor is available for you to talk with.