Last year, it was the near catastrophe of a bomb exploding in a plane over Detroit. And remember late last year, Congress struggled to give birth to a health care reform bill.

This year, it’s a deadly explosion near a food distribution center in Pakistan and destructive, freakish floods in southern California.

Christmas came anyway.

Last year, Alzheimer’s had its final way with a dear friend. This year, the River Valley mourns a fallen soldier.

Every year someone, some family experiences the pain of loss or alienation. For the lonely or bereaved, “merry” is moot. But Christmas comes to them anyway.

Last Wednesday evening at First Parish Church in Bethel, a “blue Christmas” service was conducted. Carol Stevens, who came to serve the Methodist churches of Bethel, Bryant Pond, Rumford Center and Rumford, collaborated with First Parish minister Virginia Ricker on a Christmas service to comfort the lonely and grieving. Attendance was small — icy roads didn’t help — but the service was well-received and will, like Christmas, come again next year.

How do you know when Christmas has come? Random acts of cheer maybe. All That Jazz on Rumford’s Congress Street was bustling on Christmas Eve day — holiday hair-dos mostly. Suddenly, about 11 a.m., the door burst open and an ensemble of five adults and three kids entered. They belted out “Jingle Bell Rock” in enthusiastic a cappella. It was in the door. Sing. Smile and shout “Merry Christmas.” Back out the door. Who were they? No one had the least idea. But some of us thought Christmas had come.

Later, after sunset, churches opened their doors to share the old story. Up and down the river, from Bethel to Rumford Point, Rumford Center, Virginia, Rumford Falls, Mexico, Peru and Dixfield, the congregations, larger by far than on a Sunday morning, handed the light from candle to candle and sang “Silent Night.”

Patty Hopkins told me each of the three Christmas Masses at Holy Savior were to be preceded by a 20-minute carol concert and still more of the choir singing during the Mass. The choir of 40 or so will offer another carol concert at Mass on Sunday, Jan. 2, at 9:30 a.m.

A week later, on Sunday, Jan. 9, the combined choirs of Rumford’s Virgin Chapel and Mexico’s Green Church will perform their Christmas Cantata. Jane Shuck is pretty sure the performance will be at 3 p.m., but you best check to be sure.

After all the flying around that even a modest Christmas entails, the 26th of December is a soft landing. Time to get calls and e-mails from old friends and family, eat leftovers, read by the fire. Too soon to make a list of New Year’s resolutions, but not too early to think about them. Examples: never use “impact” as a verb or pay attention to “use by” dates.

Too soon to take down the tree. No, now’s the time to gaze upon it, the unevenly decorated, shedding-its-needles Christmas tree. Christmas came again, imperfect and beautiful just like us and all our Christmases.

Linda Farr Macgregor is a freelance writer. You may e-mail her at jmacgregor1@roadrunner.com.