To the Editor,
The holiday season grows with hope and anticipation into a Christmas crescendo of bright tidings of comfort and joy.  For all of us there have been holidays where the year that preceded was perhaps trying, perhaps difficult and sometimes marred by the illness or loss of a family member.  All of the above tribulations occurred over the past year in our family. And still, due to the love, optimism, and kindness of extended family, it was a special and magical Christmas.