Christmas are by far not the ideal days to lick your wounds if Lady Death is messing with your beloved ones, or you are ill or handicaped in some way.

I lost my father 43 days ago. Not much play after... But Santa gave me some new toys. Played a couple of small games an saw TFA. " Binary sunset" theme helped me, I remembed when I was 7 and I discovered SW, with him.

So if you are suffering, I salute you. May the Force be with us.

Thank you. My brother, 48, died of a heart attack on Christmas night. He lives in California and my kids never got a chance to meet him or his kids. We were leaving the next day to see him. While the kids got to meet, they will never know their uncle. It's tearing me up that he's gone so suddenly.

Hey guys, my sympathies to you both.

I lost my father when i was 19 shortly after christmas and for about 15 years I had *nothing* to do with the festivities. It's only really since i've been with my wife that she's slowly got me to come around to liking this time of year again.

I do find the actual anniversary of his death hard still but it gets easier with time.

I think the worst year was the one when i had spinal surgery just before christmas. Not only did i have no family to spend any time with but i was pretty much housebound and in a lot of discomfort.

While its a lovely time for many it is worth remembering its not so great for a lot of people, and those people who are hurting or on their own are under a lot of pressure at this time. Respect for bringing it up to the OP

Lost my father very suddenly a year ago. My son is now 2 1/2 years old and doesn't remember him. I think that's the hardest part of losing someone who is truly special long before you expected it to happen. You have all these plans and then it's just gone. Losing someone during the holidays just makes it worse.

I get you there.

My dad died just as i was getting to know him as 'men' rather than as a 'boy'. I'd gone for a pint with him just before christmas, first and last one we went for together (obviously i'd gone to the pub with my mates before but when you're 16 you dont want your dad tagging along, thats not the legal age to drink in the UK btw its just in small rural places in the 90s no one cared how old you were in a pub).

He never saw me graduate from uni, never saw me as a soldier, never saw me do well in my career (i once told him i'd work for games workshop studio when i was about 12 and he said 'dont be daft son, only a handful of people get to do that!') and more importantly i'd have like my wife (and any future kids we have) to have met him.

But... i sometimes wonder where he would be if he had lived longer. Losing my dad made me very much a bitter loner as a young man and also very self reliant and driven as my mum and i fell out badly and i didnt see her for over a decade.

I think if he'd have lived i'd have dropped out of university and gone into the civil service with him as i was pretty much guaranteed a career with them as he was pretty senior (it shouldnt work like that but it does). I certainly wouldnt have enlisted as he was a pacifist and a bit of a hippy when he was younger.

So i dont think i'd have been in the city i came of age in, i dont think i'd have set up all my various enterprises and my Djing/Musical events. I wouldnt have met my current circle of friends and i wouldnt have been running a nightclub night in which i met my wife.

I do wonder how things would have gone if he was still around.

Thanks for bringing this up, Hexdot. Lost my grandfather for whom I'm named in February, 2 weeks after my daughter was born. His 94th birthday would have been the 15th of this month, so Christmastide this year has been kinda lackluster.

My sympathies to all who've posted their losses in here.

Thanks a lot, I phoned my buddies. Back to play after this troubled weeks. Back to my beloved Ties and T 65s. This is only a game, and quite simple, but...man... it is relaxing !!!

Yeah, I played in my first two tourneys a month after my grandpa's death, and it was therapeutic, somehow.

Oh **** Heychadwick, that absolutely sucks. Tell your, and his, kids awesome stories of your childhood with your brother. He'll come to life and it will help you in the coming years.

To quote Terry Pratchett:

A man is not dead while his name is still spoken.

It kills me that his kids are only 4 and 12. I will try to be there for them, but West Coast vs. East Coast is rough.