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I'm Maggie Smith, and this is the slowdown. It's Christmas, and though I'll see a lot of people I love today, I won't see everyone I love.

That's the thing about traditions.

They put us in certain places with certain people, and we are lucky for that.

But only so many people can fit into a living room or around a dining table.

Only so many of our loved ones live close by or can travel to us for the holidays.

There are some people we just miss.

We might call or text them on a holiday.

We might send photos of our festivities to them, and we might ask for photos of their celebrations,

so we feel like we are together in some small way.

Some years at our holiday parties, we FaceTime absent loved ones, passing the phone from person to person, so we can all see each other's

faces. This year, I'll be with my kids, and I'll see my parents and my siblings. I'll see my

niece and nephews, and some aunts and uncles and cousins.

I'll even see some family friends.

But there are people dear to me who won't be in that room or around the dining table.

Some will be elsewhere with their own families. Some are no longer with us. Their absence,

their distance from us, is felt all year round, but is more acute on holidays like Christmas.

...