A year ago, we lost my father-in-law. John was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan. My Christmas theme this year was in memory of him and my dad. We lost him in 2010. The year before that we lost my mother-in-law. There are decorations on the tree in memory of all three of them. I chose to decorate with angels and Cardinals for them.

The Victorian decorations allude to the lyrics of the carol. We don’t use these old-fashioned terms anymore. My theme was…

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”

My frugalfish tip is to remember that this Christmas is not a joyful time for some of your friends and family. Be considerate. Everyone grieves differently. Some like to just be left alone and others surrounded by family. There is no wrong way to grieve.

Even though there is an empty chair at the table, they are still with us. We see them in their descendants and the warm memories we share. They are gone, but not forgotten.