To love Christmastime is to love my momma. Everything bright. Everything sweet. Everything happy. She was the embodiment of it all. Her childlike giggle could be heard in any store where Christmas ornaments and decorations could be found. Even though our house was bursting at the seams with red and green and snowmen, she could never get enough. Now that she is gone, Christmas takes on quite a different tone in our home and hearts. Christmas devoid of her contagious joy feels . . .  Everything sad. Everything dark. Everything lonely. The first Christmas without her looked a little like … Continue reading Mom Wouldn’t Want Me To Just Survive Christmas—She’d Tell Me To Embrace the Joy