Joyous Noel

by Jackie King
I haven’t loved every Christmas. I’m an old gal, and looking back through the years, there were many years I just plain faked my 'ho ho ho.' Some of those years were hard and to get through them I had to put on a brave face of unfelt joy for the sake of those who loved me. And oddly enough, for those who didn’t like me much. Why give such people the satisfaction of seeing you’re having a sucky Christmas?
There have been two especially tough Christmases in my life. The first...