Dawsonsmom and Bengal ---- I am so very fortunate to have had them. I was so confused, listless, and tired when I made it home. Seeing everything decorated lifted my spirits. I lost my Sister 3 years ago and just yesterday I was thinking about all she had done for me, particularly when I couldn't do it for myself. My niece still comes to visit for Thanksgiving and Christmas and always looks forward to my keeping up her Mom's traditions. When my niece wanted to visit her sister in NM before Joanne passed, she didn't know how she would do it. She worked 12 hour shifts as an ER nurse, had a caregiver for those hours and then she had to take over. It was terribly hard on her. No one would step up to the plate so I went there for a little over 2 weeks. I just had to make arrangements for weekly blood work for my Oncologist here and prayed I didn't need a shot for my hemoglobin while gone. She (my sister) was 13 years older than me but towards the end it was as if that was reversed. To this day I'll never forget what all my family did for me when I was at my worst.

Awesome story, andreacha. So sorry to learn of your loss of your beloved sister. All families should have this kind of caring. Unfortunately, many do not.

My first chemo treatment was in December back in 2012 ... I was very sick ... but we had worse problems that year than my cancer ... we celebrated as much as we celebrate that year and every year since though it seems that we frequently have sad or traumatic events occur right at holiday season. Last year, our son died in November, very unexpectedly, so we definitely pushed through Thanksgiving and Christmas ...

We have a very tiny family (getting tinier every year, it seems). We basically quit decorating quite a few years ago - I've never enjoyed the process of decorating (or putting it back up again) - though I love seeing everyone else's decorations ... and as my mom has gotten older, she doesn't feel much like going to the trouble either. So, we do a little or nothing when it comes to decorating ... but we DO get together and visit and have a good time and remember the reason for the season - whether that is Thanksgiving and all we have to be thankful for or Christmas and celebrating the birth of our Savior. My mom once did all of the cooking, but in recent years she has been willing to delegate some of the side dishes and desserts to myself and our daughter-in-law.