As if our family wasn't bombarded with enough trials, my mother suffered a stroke and passed away during Christmas holidays. We buried her on Christmas Eve. Though we were thankful that she passed away quickly, didn't suffer, our family was devastated. We chose to still celebrate the birth of Christ with our nephew, who needed moral support. Normally our family gatherings consisted of immediate family members along with aunts and cousins. Due to limited social gathering, we missed our family tradition.