Consider the epic tragedy that took place this past Christmas in Stamford, CT, when Madonna Badger, a New York-based marketing executive, lost her three young daughters and both parents to a fire that started in the embers of chimney ashes, as the family celebrated the holiday together. In just a flash of time and with no explanation, Ms. Badger went from reveling in the joy of her family, to deeply mourning it. For her, Christmas, the once celebratory, unifying, loving and most special time of the year became a dark abyss of solitude and pain.
