An Advent wreath with real candles has always been part of Jeff and Kristen Kidder's Christmas tradition, and they didn't want this year to be any different.
When they lit the candles for the first time and saw the beautiful glow of the light, it evoked the same spirit of the holidays as it always had. Blowing them out was another story.
The wisp smoke and the acrid smell quickly brought back the memories from last year, and they were not good ones.
Last Christmas Eve, the Kidders went to their neighbor's house in St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood for dinner. During that evening, they began to smell smoke, so they rushed outside to see their house ablaze. They watched as firefighters tried in vain to save the Christmas presents. They lost their cat, Scar. And they lost almost everything they owned.
Turns out, they had left that Advent candle burning when they left for dinner.
To make matters worse, Jeff had recently been diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma. He was undergoing treatments at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and praying for a remission of the incurable disease.
It has been a trying, humbling and in some ways remarkable year for the Kidders, who have been overwhelmed with support and kindness from friends, family and strangers.
The first good news is that after a stem cell transplant, Jeff's illness is in remission. He's returned to work as music director for Messiah Episcopal Church.
