My Guardian Angel,

I would give anything to share one more Christmas with you.

You are gone: gone from my life, my family, and my future. But, you are constantly present in my mind and heart. Your impact on my life will forever be embedded in my soul and will remain everlasting. The legacy that you left behind and the values you've taught me will never truly be gone.

I always try to think of you with a smile on my face and try to forget the bad days, the days where you were hurting. Instead, I think of the good days, the days we were together.

I want to keep all of the memories we made alive. Although some of the traditions changed as a result of your passing, you're spirit is still with us, always. I promise.

As I wrap Christmas presents, I can't help but recall the time where my sister and I were helping you wrap the presents for our Christmas Eve family party. We accidentally (yes, accidentally) found the sweaters you bought for us. As you came upstairs, we scrambled to try and hide the evidence. Silly us, thinking that we could keep a secret from you. I don't think I have ever been more afraid in my life. After giving us a disapproving look, you smiled and said to act surprised when we opened them on Christmas Eve.

Your smile still makes my day brighter than the Christmas lights that we decorated the tree with. I hope that you can still see our smiles and hear our laughs and know that we are keeping you in our hearts.

I think about you every day but especially more around the holidays. Holidays are for when family reunites and reminisces. With you gone, we give thanks that we have each other and remember all of the times that we shared together. Your passing made us realize how valuable our time together really is.

I hope that, wherever you are, you're celebrating too. We've come to terms in the best way that we know how. You might see a few more tears this time of year, but we promise we help each other through it. You're still with us in our hearts, and we can feel your presence with us as we sit around the dinner table. We can feel your warmth as we spend time by the fire. You and your memory are still with us.

You're still part of our holiday celebrations. Whether it's when we're decorating the tree or wrapping presents, your memory is still alive in our hearts.

The holidays aren't as bright without you, but we'll be reunited one day. And, that's the greatest gift of all.