Often in pursuit of holiday perfection, we lose sight of what we really want to experience – precious moments with family and friends.

Perfection is hard to achieve, even impossible (except for maybe the New England Patriots.) Why add stress to the already stressful holidays? Spend more quality time with loved ones this holiday season. Give your family a KISS – Keep It Simple Silly – and you discover you’re happier than any greeting card we have in our minds.

When I think of Thanksgiving, I picture my family laughing and telling stories around the table. I think of our strategies to save room for dessert, which every year we say people bring too much.

I think of the careful negotiations for placing your leftover orders and who had the best Tupperware plan to take them home. I think of football on the television before turkey-induced comas.

Please say a prayer for the men and women in harm’s way this holiday season. It is a time where they will re-read letters from home. They will put on a smile to make fellow troops feel better during this hard time in a faraway place.

The loneliness is strong, but they keep it inside. They eagerly await care packages from home for little reminders of normal life. They wish for time to fly by, but their prayers are for their fellow soldiers to return safely back through the gate, back to the security of their brothers in arms.

Robert Smith, Mechanic Falls