A naming ceremony offers a sense of tradition, of occasion and is a formal way of offering love and reassurances towards a new baby. It's also the perfect way to introduce a child into your circle of family and friends and to celebrate one of life's continuing miracles. Nowadays many people choose to wait until their baby's first birthday to hold a naming ceremony -  a double celebration! 

Why do we wait until birthdays, Christmas or New Year's Eve to celebrate? I believe life is too short not to celebrate EVERY moment we can. Without making the effort to mark a particular moment, life passes us by far too quickly and achievements and blessings can so easily get missed along the way...

Organising a celebration - with a celebrant to lift the occasion from special to spectacular - is the best way to mark all those special occasions in your life. Be it a new home, new baby, the passing of an exam or achieving new status...

Make Celebrating Life's Chapters your New Year's Resolution for 2013...celebrate in style and ensure you don't let those magic moments pass you by...

Are you looking for a really unique gift for a special person in your life, something that will be treasured forever? Something that is totally personal and meaningful? And something that can be passed down from generation to generation that all the family and friends will love?

The answer is a professionally produced  book all about that special person, telling their story in words and pictures! For a mother or father, a grandparent or even for your child - it's something that will be a treasured keepsake.

I have just written one for my daughter to celebrate her 28th birthday. It traced all her life's special moments so far: from birth through her formative years; her school days; university studies; holidays; her career; special friends; the man she fell in love with - his proposal and their marriage.

I gave it to her as a surprise yesterday on her birthday and she was utterly thrilled with it. And her friends adored it too.

It makes the ideal gift for a group of friends or family to club together to buy to celebrate a birthday or  wedding anniversary or any other special occasion

And for older people who already have everything they need, it is something that really shows how much you care about them.

It could be a surprise, but far better to let the person tell their own story in unhurried interviews, choose exactly what they want recorded and decide on which pictures to include. The person being interviewed will remain in total control of the written word.

With so many of us geographically (and often emotionally) cut off from our relatives and friends - for instance all my family apart from my daughter are living in England - it makes me realise just how important it is to get together when we can and celebrate the occasion. A friend of mine has just returned from Australia to spend time with her sick father in England and he died just days after she returned home. How much better was it that she was there to spend time with him when he was alive, than rushing home after he had died for a funeral?

I think Living Wakes (like a funeral wake but when the guest of honour is present) are a really great way of making someone feel loved, cherished and important to those around them. I've always thought how crazy it is to have a wonderful funeral that celebrates the life of the person who has died, and they miss out on all the love, memories and funny stories that surround the occasion. How often have you heard people at a funeral say, "How much he/she would have loved this?".

And I don't even think living wakes need to wait until a special relative is even ill. Why not have a Celebration of Life every year, when the family gets together? Even if it's when one relative visits from overseas, why not plan a family  gathering - which is structured as a special ceremony - to create a professional, meaningful and loving occasion?

But if a family member is ill, and you fear the end might be close, then that's a perfect time to plan a Living Wake. I've done a lot of training in grief and bereavement and I know how much this can help not only the relatives, but also the person who is facing the natural end of their life. It helps acceptance and for those who will be left behind, it also helps in the bereavement process.