They say it’s the most wonderful time of the year, but there are some who might feel otherwise.
It’s impossible to pick them out of a crowd. They’re shopping at the mall, stopping by neighborhood Christmas parties with their kids, decorating their homes in red, white and blue lights.
But while most of us spend Christmas with our friends and families, they are separated from theirs by oceans, entire continents.
Traci Adams of Mount Pleasant is one of those people. Her husband, Capt. Taylor Adams, is a maintenance officer in the Air Force Reserve, and he left more than a month ago for Iraq. Now she spends her days being both parents, and trying to explain why Daddy isn’t home for Christmas.
It’ll break your heart to hear his 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Sage, point at the sky and yell, “Airplane!”
Traci Adams decorated for Christmas and put up the tree with her kids, but finally decided to visit her parents for the holidays.
“I couldn’t stand the thought of being here on Christmas morning,” she said, of the family home. “I thought it would seem weird without him here.”
This time of year, the families of military personnel get an extra reminder of the sacrifices of war. For them, family visits might mean little more than a phone call or, if they’re lucky, a Web chat that allows them the miracle of seeing their loved one. It is something, but not nearly enough to replace the traditions lost by their absence.