Many say that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Most people gather with their family and enjoy the holiday together. The whole month of December is planned around the day of Christmas. When students get back from Thanksgiving break, the only thing they look forward to is Christmas. Lights are put on every house in the neighborhood, and presents are put under every tree. Homes are filled with the smell of Christmas cookies baking in the oven and the sound of crackling fire in the fireplace. Everyone is excited and happy.
Many would also say that Christmas is the worst time of the year. Many people have had the deaths of loved ones happen in the month of December, along with other emotional pain. Every time Christmas comes around they aren’t joyful, they are in a state of grief for the pain they experienced.
On Dec. 24, 2014, I had a very incredible woman in my life pass away unexpectedly. She was only 33 years old. She was the most beautiful and joyful person I know. Just a few days prior, I heard her sing a lovely duet with her wonderful mother. Three days later my family gets the call of her passing. Christmas was no longer a joyful and exciting time. It was a time of grief and pain.
As we come to Dec. 24, 2015, many hearts are saddened thinking about the lost. But the most affected is her family. Her mother writes on her online blog site, “I am holding my breath until Christmas this year. I want it to be over.” Christmas has become the most difficult part of the year for her.
Last year in December, a young boy and his brother were in a car accident. They were both rushed to the hospital, only to die hours later. A mother lost her two sons at one time. Her idea of family was shattered. December is just a reminder of death and tragedy. The youngest brother was in twelfth grade. He and his best friends were getting ready to graduate together. Now his best friends have graduated without him. They grieve during Christmas because the month of December was the month that their closest friend was taken from them. December will never fully be the same for them ever again.
On Dec. 13, 2013, a young girl disappeared. Her parents had to go through Christmas without their daughter with them. They had to experience the most wonderful time of the year, alone and grieving uncontrollably. It has been two years and they still don’t have their daughter on Christmas Day. December is painful and Christmas is empty.
How many other stories are like this? How many other families grieve every Christmas? Thousands of people have lost loved ones in the month of December. Once you experience a loss, December changes forever.
Although Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for many people, we should all remember that for some, it is the hardest time of the year.
