Christmas 2016 was the first one that my significant other, Brad, and I spent away from our families in four years. We’d just moved to Peoria, Illinois, a few months prior and we were excited to have a relaxed, grown up Christmas without a damn responsibility for the entire day -- besides cooking that massive meal on our own, of course. We invited over a friend and as we stuffed our faces with brown sugar-glazed ham, green bean casserole, and a ton of traditional English Christmas fayre, we recalled how many amazing celebrities this grueling year had stolen. Then, George Michael passed away on Christmas Day and it felt like another devastating blow to what had been a windmill of punches to the gut. The deaths just kept coming: Alan Rickman, Anton Yelchin, David Bowie, Prince, just to name a few. Even Carrie Fisher had a heart attack on the 23^rd. But we raised our glasses in solidarity exclaiming, “If anyone can beat 2016, it’s Carrie Fisher! At least we’ve still got her!”

Then it happened.

The morning of the 27^th I had a huge craving for cinnamon rolls. So I looked up a recipe on our Lord and Savior of a website, Pinterest, and decided to treat Brad to a homemade breakfast. As the dough set aside to rise, I began scrolling through my newsfeed and it hit me dead in the face: The New York Times confirmed Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 am on Tuesday morning. I chaotically clicked around other sites, googling out of mind to see if it was true.

When all hope was lost, I grabbed Brad’s hand and told him I had some terrible news. As dramatic as this sounds, Star Wars is as close to the Bible as our house will ever get.

We put A New Hope in the DVD player and I began to cry. Now, I’m not exaggerating here -- I shed real tears for a woman I didn’t even know. The next day we saw Rogue One [sort of spoiler ahead] and I left the theater sobbing after Fisher’s show stopping last line. And the whole thing was a new level of crazy, even for me. I rarely cry as it is, but here I was letting the tears fall for a celebrity -- something I’d mocked other people for doing in the past.

But it’s clear as to why I felt Carrie Fisher had such an important role in my life without ever having met her, and I’m obviously not the only one.

Carrie Fisher was the first women who proved to me that you can be a princess, but you can also save the galaxy -- with or without a man by your side. Leia Organa carried herself with the same poise and power as Fisher did in real life, inspiring me to find those qualities within myself. Fisher had an extremely accomplished big screen and television careers including two Emmy nominations in 2008 and 2011, and she relentlessly fought for women’s rights behind the camera. She was an actress, an author, a comic, a screenwriter, a feminist, a mental health advocate -- just to name a few of her many hats. She lived freely and was unapologetically fierce, and I am so sad that she is gone. I hope that little girls growing up today will know all of what Fisher did for them and her legacy will continue to do. And finally, we must keep her legacy alive. Talk about your favorite lines from her standup routine, what you liked best about her book, or what you found most influential about her. If you haven't submersed yourself in all her greatness yet, do so. She had so many powerful things to say and taught me so much. She deserves to be remembered forever.

Rest in peace to an incredible woman.