John,

I wanted to take a moment to personally wish you a happy holiday season!

This time of year can be bittersweet for those of us who have lost loved ones. While I’m grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with my family, it’s been a tough time of year for me since losing Jordan to gun violence back in 2012. Christmas was always his favorite holiday growing up.

It always brings a smile to my face when I think back to our Christmases together growing up. Most years it was just the two of us celebrating – along with our dog Freckles.

Jordan would be so excited to go pick out a fresh Christmas tree each year. Whether we went to a farm or the local Home Depot, Jordan insisted on choosing the biggest tree on the whole lot. We’d have to drag it into the living room ourselves, making a huge mess of pine needles in the process. But it smelled so wonderful in the house and Jordan’s joy would light up the whole room.

The biggest challenge was trying to stop Freckles from decorating the tree with his own special method… of peeing on it.

Like every other kid, Jordan loved nothing more than opening presents on Christmas morning. But he never wanted to wait patiently to find out what I’d gotten him. Each year I’d catch him snooping around the house to see where his presents were hiding so he could get a sneak peek.

One year, I bought him his first bike without training wheels from Sears. I knew I had to get creative with where to hide it so it’d be a true surprise, so I convinced a friend in the neighborhood to hold onto it for me until Christmas. I’ll never forget the look on Jordan’s face when he unwrapped it. “Mom! Where the heck did you hide this thing?!”

Though it’s painful to be missing Jordan extra during the holiday season, these memories never fail to cheer me up.

John, I hope you have the chance to get some rest and relaxation with your loved ones this year. All the best from my family to yours.

With love,

Lucy