“I’m mourning the loss of the person I was just one short year ago. She feels like a stranger to me now. But when I least expected it, I was reminded of the most important thing that can’t be taken away from us, no matter how the world feels like it’s crumbling.”
‘It’s been hard to place my feelings lately. But as I sat in my car, tears streaming down to Faith Hill’s ‘Where Are You Christmas’ on the radio, I finally understood.’: Woman shares magical reminder ‘not even 2020 can take away the love in our hearts’
‘The detective said, ‘I need to speak with you immediately. This is the strangest thing to ever happen at the New Jersey DEA. Come to the precinct at once.’: Mom hilariously recalls Christmas gift gone wrong, ‘The things we do for our kids’
“I tried to get the best Christmas gift for my daughter on Etsy and accidentally became embroiled in an international drug-smuggling ring. The things we do for our kids.”
‘I was over-medicated, an emotionless zombie. I didn’t know how to celebrate without him. This year, I FEEL.’: Widow shares feelings on holidays while grieving, ‘Finding a new normal is weird’
“I feel, at any moment, every good feeling may be the last one I have. I just have to put on my fancy holiday anxiety and deal with it. The worst part about being a widow is holidays.”
‘Something wrong, dear?’ The price of a turkey was more expensive than she thought. She laid out her coupons, anxiously watching the numbers on the register climb.’: Man recalls Thanksgiving act of kindness
“She counted her money, paused, and let out a heavy sigh. She was $4.00 short. The manager lied, ‘Susan, did you not see the sales signs we put out today? Everyone who buys a fresh turkey gets a free pumpkin pie. Take that pie off her bill, please.'”
‘I put my Christmas tree up early this year. F─k it. Let’s face it, this year has been hard. Like, really hard.’: Woman urges ‘do what makes YOU feel good
“I want nothing more than the glow of Christmas lights, the sweet smell of pine, the peace of holiday instrumentals backed by a fiery Yule log, the burn of a too-hot hot chocolate. I deserve this.”
‘My sweet little innocent girl looked right at me and said, ‘But mom, you are Santa.’ I could have lied. Instead, I confessed the truth.’: Mom teaches daughter ‘true magic of Christmas’
“I wanted to tell her that even though the writing on her presents looks like mine, it isn’t. I wanted to tell her that when her elf caught fire last year when he was sitting on a hot light bulb, that she didn’t smell melting plastic. She is still so little, and I wanted to savor that magic.”
‘The tears started running. ‘How much blood has there been?’ I didn’t want to go to the ER alone. ‘That’s a nice tree, Mama.’ My husband bought it the next day.’: Mom decorates for Christmas early after miscarriage scare
“Christmas decorations this soon seemed like too much to my husband. I needed Christmas just as badly as my little girl did. Maybe we needed that tree. Crying, snot dripping down my nose, I told my husband. ‘I just want Christmas. I need Christmas.'”
‘There I stood, bawling in a Christmas aisle at Hobby Lobby. 2020 has brought us nothing but hurt and I’m ready for my favorite time of year.’ Woman says ‘once we choose hope, anything is possible’
“I said to my husband tonight, ‘I have to tell you something.’ I stood right in front of these trees and started crying when I heard the acoustic version of ‘O’ Holy Night’ playing over the speakers.”
‘Her father walked into my office, completely lost. His daughter was spiraling. She just needed someone to believe in her, so she could believe in herself.’: Police officer forms beautiful friendship with troubled teen, ‘I refused to give up on her’
“His daughter had started to drink and hang with the wrong crowd. She’d received her first official charge for destruction of property. He had no clue what to do with her. ‘I’ll meet with her.’ As she walked into my office, my whole life changed. She would come to challenge me, as I would challenge her. A bond would be formed that helped both of us become better people. I refused to give up on her. She was in need. She wanted to be better.”
‘She had a holiday announcement planned ‘just in case.’ She doesn’t have life growing in her belly, but she has hope in her heart.’: Woman applauds all women waiting to become mothers ‘even when our bodies fail us’
“The holiday season is freshly fading, and that means pregnancy announcements have rolled out on social media. Here is to ‘that’ momma. The one who is still waiting, looking at one evil line on a pee stick. The one grieving a life she was so in love with. The one who has children of her own, but so desperately wants to give her husband a child with his DNA. The one who is tired of trying, and sad she is starting to give up.”
