A giant Christmas tree stands inside Clearspring Centre again this December. It's called the Memory Tree, sponsored by the South Eastman Health Palliative Care Team.

Spokesperson Violet Vogt says "it gives all of us a chance to have a really gentle meaningful ritual of hanging a memory card on the Christmas tree in memory of a loved one who has passed on." She adds "it's just a way to manage some of those feelings of sorrow and grief in a season that's very happy."

The tree will remain up through the Christmas season. Last year there were over six hundred cards on the tree by the time it was taken down. "It's really meaningful to so many people in our region," says Vogt.

Vogt says Christmas is a season of joy. But she notes it's important to remember that joy and sorrow have an equal role in life. "And we don't know how to handle sorrow as well as we handle joy," says Vogt. "A lot of times people need to understand that it's ok to grieve at Christmas."

This year cards come in English, French, German and Russian languages. All you have to do is head down to the mall, sign a card and hang it on the tree. There is no cost involved though donations are accepted. That money will then be used to fund the Comfort Care Basket Project, something given to families when their loved one is dying in the hospital.