Community Memorial Tree event at River Park Square celebrates lost loved ones

SPOKANE, Wash. — With the holidays comes shopping, baking, and lots of last-minute prepping before family visits.

So much so, we can sometimes forget to just stop and appreciate time with those family members.

That’s where Hospice of Spokane’s Community Memorial Tree Celebration comes in. The event took place from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday at River Park Square.

According to its Facebook page, the annual celebration “serves as a reminder to pause and consider what is truly important.”

Hospice of Spokane provided doves for people to decorate in memory of lost loved ones. Those doves were then placed on trees at the downtown mall.

This is the first year Hospice of Spokane has included community members in the event. In previous years, only Hospice members participated.

“It kind of takes your breath away. It gives you a moment to inhale and say ‘Wow, I’m not the only one, I’m among many,’ and this is a good time to remember, I might be busy this holiday season doing wonderfully fun things and shopping, celebrating, but remembering too,” said Janna Nixon, the community outreach coordinator for Hospice of Spokane.

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