The Rev. Robert Denton offered a little advice for handling the holiday season in the wake of a loved one’s death.

He said the angel, a symbol of Christmas, is a reminder not to be afraid. And though unearthing old ornaments may spark painful memories, look at them with respect, and  not with grief.

Denton said, “To open that box of ornaments is to make many, many trips across years and decades. When we put them up, they are acts of will. They give us power over things that we otherwise would not have.”

Denton advised that, the former executive director of the Victim Assistance Program, rang true especially for the 150 people at the 22nd Angel Tree Ceremony on Monday night at the Akron-Summit County Main Library to mourn for loved ones they lost to homicide.

Leanne Graham, the executive director of Victim Assistance Program, said that more than 30 names of victims from Summit County have been added each year. The Victim Assistance Program, which organizes the event, offered emotional, physical and financial aid to people victimized by a crime or trauma.

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By Prakriti Neogi