Winter time is when people make the most conscious effort to consider themselves “happy.” Perhaps it’s a way of getting over the first hump of cold weather; maybe it’s just a necessary form of recycling nostalgia to find comfort. However, this time of year hits a lot of people harder than others.

Dealing with loss at a time when everyone around you is magically cheerful can be excruciating. As humans, we are just tiny microscopic specs of star dust in a vast universe that is larger than any comprehension. The fact that we are given life and can do simple things like root for our favorite teams, listen to music, love and be loved is an amazing thing.

As your loved ones depart this earthly world, remember that energy cannot be created or destroyed. They may still have a conscious, they may become a part of the environment, they may power our sun. While their physical form is no longer working, your memories of them and with them will never die.

A death near Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanza can seem to taint the holidays for years to come. Don’t allow it to. Celebrate as if your loved one is still there. You could even leave a place setting for them. Because their memory is still there and it always will be. Holidays are all about tradition and nostalgia, so remember the best ones and speak of them freely.

In the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson “’Tis better have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

This article is dedicated to Dale J. Weatherlow. May he rest in peace.