The first Christmas without Mum, we felt her absence in the small details – no one makes beans like her

‘They were part of the fabric of every family Christmas’: Elizabeth Quinn and her mother with a pot of ‘Gran's beans’ Photograph: Supplied

This festive season, a combination of coronavirus, distance and the rising costs of air travel will mean an incomplete family gathering for many.

Any absence is felt keenly at this time of year, but the first Christmas after the loss of a loved one has an added layer of poignancy.