photo eric merry christmas phrase commonly time year season highlighting misery lives merriment acutely aware aspects lives improved worse christmas adults good children learn early expectations presents feeling moment christmas year prompting dwell life guess seasonal traditions unearth memories memories bring mind darker times life unhappy christmases marriage years single spend christmas girls light warmer brighter dark thinking things year sitting parents house michigan jason girls brother portland spend time grandmothers christmas jason's parents sister nephew drive chicago parents house couples bring families holidays honestly they're forward feel blessed less-trite feel encroaching darkness finally decided give curt darkness embrace light overcome darkness important acknowledge darkness christmas helps fully acknowledge celebrate light season bridge god's grace jesus chasm chasm reason celebrate bridges bridge dark world sing requires darkness fear chasm mentioned idea morning reference advent devotional recently read typically word express happiness rises average devotional pointed biblical involve darkness background happiness happiness emerges darkness fear shepherds feeling angels appeared bringing good tidings great teenager mary feeling held baby faced chasm knowing jesus born room privacy comfort experienced mother sister ordeal thinking true requires darkness writing post pretending ignore darkness helped light season 