Christmas: Coping with an empty chair at the dinner table

When many families gather around the dining table on Christmas Day, there can be a feeling of loss as they look at the space where a loved one once sat.

Sisters Hope and Katie Smith lost their dad earlier this year and said that space at the table became a negative symbol.

So they set up An Empty Chair in a bid to change the narrative for people navigating life after loss, creating a space where people can talk about their loved ones and openly admit when they are struggling.

“Katie and I luckily had our family and had each other but for so many people they don’t have that,” Hope said.