A lady at my church lost her son a couple of years ago and right before Thanksgiving her husband died suddenly.
Oh, how difficult this Thanksgiving was for her — and like you said, the Christmas celebrations are filled with memories of loved ones.
I can see the grief in her face.
I can identify... my nephew was lost in an auto-accident about 8 years ago and my baby sister still grieves the loss, especially at Christmas, which is his birthday! We all think of him on Christmas day.
I hope she has family to support her; terrible shame to spend Christmas alone.