This is the third and final column that explores different reasons why Christmas can be something other than merry and bright, using the three spirits described in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The column will appear in the Van Buren County Advertiser in the January 2, 2012 edition, which can be found online here when published: www.vbcadvertiser.com.

This is the second of three columns that explore different reasons why Christmas can be something other than merry and bright, using the three spirits described in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The column first appeared in the Van Buren County Advertiser in the December 12, 2011 edition, which can be found online here: www.vbcadvertiser.com.

Christmas certainly can be the most wonderful time of the year, as the carol proclaims, but for many people it can also be that time of year that is most difficult, for a variety of reasons. This is the first of three columns that will explore different reasons why Christmas can be something other than merry and bright. It first appeared in the Van Buren County Advertiser in the December 5, 2011 edition, which can be found online here: www.vbcadvertiser.com.