# Caroline on Christmas Day

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caroline-on-christmas-day/845408>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 25, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caroline-on-christmas-day/845408 "2019-12-25T18:24:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caroline-on-christmas-day/845408/1 "2019-12-25T18:24:21Z")

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My good friend Caroline lost her husband John just a few years back. He was a good and gentile man married to a good and gentle woman, but instead of grieving endlessly when he died she decided to celebrate enough for the both of them, throwing summer parties for us all, going on adventurous outings and always lending a helping hand to those who needed it.  
She died peacefully in her sleep this Christmas morning, and this is the only time, in all the years I have known her, that the thought of her has brought me sadness.

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caroline-on-christmas-day/845408/2 "2019-12-25T18:26:16Z")

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Beautiful tribute. I’m sorry for your loss.

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caroline-on-christmas-day/845408/3 "2019-12-27T18:46:36Z")

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We gathered together last night at the place she had picked the week before for our regular Thursday meet-up. We regretted, rejoiced and remembered, then retreated to our own lives.

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**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caroline-on-christmas-day/845408/4 "2019-12-27T19:05:12Z")

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Beautiful tribute Czar, she sounds like a person worth knowing.

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**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caroline-on-christmas-day/845408/5 "2019-12-27T22:52:47Z")

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I’m sorry for your loss. I hope you can come up with an amazing celebration to remember her by.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caroline-on-christmas-day/845408/6 "2019-12-27T23:13:57Z")

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Bizarrely, I had a friend named Caroline who lost her husband John three years ago. She died in her sleep a couple of months ago. For a moment I thought you were talking about the same person. However, my Caroline seemed to lose interest in everything and increasingly cut herself off from friends and activities.

Her friends got together for a remembrance rather than a formal funeral. I’d rather she had made the same choices as your Caroline, but it’s not something I should have any say in.