I’m working hard to send my Christmas greetings earlier than usual to those who don’t know about the loss of my husband, Claude, on the last day of 2010. As I took my Christmas card list from my printer, I pictured people as their names popped up. I thought of others who are no longer with us.

For many years, the first Christmas card of the season floated into our mailbox on Dec. 1. I knew who sent it before I pulled it out of the box: Perry, the vivacious, loving English World War II war bride of my second cousin, Jack. We found Perry and Jack when we moved to Lillian when Claude went to pastor the newly organized Lillian United Methodist Church in 1981. She always enclosed a note to keep us up to date on their lives. Although they are both deceased, they hold a special place in my heart.

Then there’s Erika, now in her 90s, and living in North Carolina close to her youngest son. We met her and her husband, Wilhelm, at Fort Jackson, S.C. in early 1960. Later, we moved to posts in Germany — Wilhelm to Schweinfurt, Claude to Bamberg. We visited a little through the years and always kept in touch at Christmas.

I look forward to hearing from Nell. I suspect she’s pushing or past 90, since she kept me when I was a baby while my mother worked in a post office in the now defunct community of Belle Ellen, Ala. Nell visited us at Tannehill Historic State Park where we were camping several years ago. She often reminisces about her friendship with my parents in her Christmas card.

Another dear friend I anticipate hearing from is Lola. She came to work in the company store my mother managed in Littleton, Ala., (also now non-existent) after graduation from high school. She was beautiful and full of fun. Although I was much younger, she and I became pals and sometimes got the giggles together. She turned to my mother as a confidant and considered our family her family.

We added James and Porter to our list when someone located Claude to invite him to a reunion of his Korean War unit. All three had been young soldiers who shipped out together and served in Korea. The three of them held their own reunion at our house after that. They looked at pictures and reminisced for hours about their Korean experiences. I treasure a photo I snapped of those three smiling men who reunited that day.

I had lost touch with Patty, a first cousin, until she sent a sweet card to my mother at a nursing home in 2003. She lives in New York, and we haven’t seen each other since we were children. Through our correspondence, we were reacquainted and exchange Christmas cards.

As I work on my cards, sweet memories of times long past will surface, reminding me of God’s gift of the joy of family and friendship.

Nina Keenam is a retired journalist, who formerly worked at The Foley Onlooker.