When we had our first son, I kept his and my hospital bracelets. For his first Christmas, I placed them in a clear ornament and placed his name on the outside.

When we had our second son, I kept our hospital bracelets also. For his first Christmas, I made an identical ornament even though he was not spending Christmas with us.

I did the same with our third and fourth babies. We hang all four on our tree every year, and there is usually a squabble about who gets to hang Levi’s.

We have a few ornaments for Levi; a baby footprint, a Fisher Price ornament, and handmade tree with lights. We love hanging them on our tree and talking about what they mean to us.

It can be hard during the holidays when grieving. And that doesn’t go away after the first Christmas. We have found meaning in incorporating Levi into our traditions.

He has a place in our family. He will always have a place in our family. And as our kids with us grow older, I hope they are always excited to place his ornaments on the tree. I hope they are always excited to make sure he is involved.