For most people, the early sounds of Christmas might be joyful. But for others, the Christmas season brings sad memories of their loss of loved ones.

It is with that knowledge that Egan Funeral Home's Baxter & Giles Chapel has for nine years held a candle service at Orangeville Baptist Church on the last Sunday of November - a Christmas Memorial Service - as an extension of its grief outreach program.

"That's just close enough to Christmas for people who need a light in their life," said Steve Elliott, the managing director of the Orangeville funeral home. A similar service is held at Bolton.

Although always at the Baptist church, the service is non-denominational. Participating clergy rotate, and represent a cross-section of all denominations. This year, the clergy were Rev. Dan Brubaker of the host church, Rev. Barbara Hammond of St. John's Anglican, Rev. Harvey Self of Tweedsmuir Presbyterian, and Rev. Bahman Kalantari of St. Mark's Anglican.

The Christmas service is simple enough, yet one charged with emotion and filled with beauty.

Mr. Elliott said it`s held at the Baptist church not only because of the welcome but because the venue offers all facilities on one floor, and there's barrier-free access to everything.

Significantly, Dr. Bill Webster of the Centre for Grief Journey is central to the service although local clergy provide messages of their choosing. Mr. Elliott said Dr. Webster founded the centre after he had become a single father of two pre-teen children.

"He lost his wife at a very young age. He has lived the grief. People feel at ease with him."

The size of the sanctuary might also be important in the choice. The service is growing. This year, Mr. Elliott said, 400 in addition to the clergy participated. Of those, many - if not all - requested invitations to return next year.

Invitations? The service is open to the whole community, and not only to those who have used the home, but Egan's provides candles for all persons to light and to take home and light on Christmas Eve in memory of a departed loved one. This year, said Mr. Elliott, one participant brought 40 members of the family.

They all plan to be back next year.

The personalized invitations "are not only addressed to (someone's name), but to (the person) in memory of a departed loved one."

Mr. Elliott said Christmas is a special season, but not the only time of special family gatherings throughout the year. It is on those special occasions that bereaved persons might feel the strongest sense of loss.

As grief knows no season, Egan's has grief outreach programs in the spring and fall of each year. These, he said, are small groups where participants find they are not alone in their grief.

But the Christmas season might be doubly important, as it is a time that families have not only planned for well in advance, but sometimes lose a loved one between the purchase of gifts and Christmas Day. What to do with the gifts? Perhaps they remain as a reminder of the loss.

At Sunday's service, there were tears - "not of grief, but of remembrance," said Mr. Elliott. Despite his exposure to bereavement and grief, he confessed that he has problems choking back a few tears at the end of the service, "when the candles are lit, the lights go down, and there's the singing of Silent Night."

The concept of a special Christmas service for bereaved persons appears to be spreading. On Monday, Dec. 17, Riverside Pentecostal Church near Grand Valley and Simes Funeral Home are holding a "Blue Christmas" service at the Funeral Home in the village.