Celebration of Life Party

Have a celebration of life party for your loved one. Honor them by making a Legacy Time Capsule to pass on the stories of their life to their grandchildren and great grandchildren. It is a sad, yet happy day to reminisce about all things nostalgic, share funny stories, and wisdom with the remaining family members in a fun way.

Memory Table

The memory table is a display of mementos that are too large to fit in the Legacy Time Capsule and the main items that best describe your loved one’s life. Pictures, items from hobbies, awards, photo album, favorite toy as a kid, work related items, large souvenirs, etc can be placed here. Let these items tell a story in a time line fashion from birth to passing. Let the loved one’s personality shine on this table.

At the end of the table is the Legacy Time Capsule. Have guests drop in or set their memory item they brought to the celebration around it, after labeling their item using the identification tags available. These are labels for each item put in the Legacy Time Capsule, so 20 or 30 years later everyone knows what the item is, who is in the photo (or what they are doing, if a picture), who included it and why.

Mini Activity Tables

For the younger children who do not understand what is going on or are bored, include several small tables for them to do things that were still important to your loved one. For example, set up your loved one’s favorite board or card game for them to play. Maybe putt-putt golf outside as a remembrance that your loved one likes to play golf. Books to read, including your loved one’s favorite childhood or adult book or a tv show/movie to watch. You could also have a craft table set up for kids to draw out their feelings and pictures to leave the loved one in the Legacy Time Capsule, so they feel they are included in this celebration of life. You are trying to set up tables so friends and family can relive the experience of being with your loved one again.

Make a Legacy Time Capsule for this Celebration of Life Party

NOTE: If you have not already printed out photos to use as stickers to put on the outside of this “Any Occasion” DIY Time Capsule to make it a Legacy Time Capsule, then you can now have guests sign the outside of the time capsule instead with notes of love for the family.

• Choose a few lines from the Legacy Profile Book to read about your loved one.
• Have a few guests discuss what they brought to put in the Legacy Time Capsule and why or what meaning it represents as a connection to the loved one.
• Some people may read their “Memories to the Future” letters written to the family as future comfort or written to future grandchildren about advice they learned from their loved one.

Final Tribute – Balloon Release

There is great comfort in releasing an item (like a balloon, doves, or butterflies) at the end of the Celebration of Life ceremony. It helps mentally and emotionally. You can even write notes on the outside of the balloon before releasing them to say good-bye.

Finally, the family thanks everyone for sharing this celebration of life party with them.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

– Marcie