CHEBOYGAN -- The Blaskowski family walked across a snow-covered cemetery, a Christmas card and golden snowman decorations in tow.
They were there on their weekly visit, this time with holiday adornments for the grave of Matthew Blaskowski, who died in combat this year in Afghanistan.
"He's still a part of our family and we'll still include him to celebrate Christmas," said Matt's younger brother, Stan, choking back emotion while standing in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Riggsville.
Family and friends often stop by the grave to discover flags, wreaths and military pins left behind by others.
"I come by whenever I'm around," said Austin, Matt's cousin.
The combat deaths of two young soldiers this year rocked not just the Blaskowskis, but another Cheboygan County family, as well.
U.S. Army Pfc. Justin Paton, 24, was killed by small arms fire on Feb. 17 in Iraq, while Sgt. 1st Class Blaskowski, 27, was shot and killed Sept. 23. Both soldiers grew up in rural Cheboygan County.
"There's always going to be a hole in your heart that can't be replaced by anything else," said Cheryl Blaskowski, Matt's mother.
She said a return to regular, day-to-day life proved difficult, especially during this first holiday season after the death of her newly wedded son. His wife, Daniela, returned to their home in Italy.
"You just get up and know you can't just stop functioning. He wouldn't want that," Cheryl said through tears. "I sometimes feel guilt for just functioning, like when you talk with people or laugh."
Despite the pain and loss, the holiday season will go on for the Blaskowski family, as Cheryl and Matt's father, Terry, will spend a quiet Christmas with their grandchildren, their other son and his wife. They'll also make a stop by the cemetery to see Matt.
"I want to make a snow angel right there in the fresh snow," Terry said, pointing at his son's grave.
There's no hint of holiday festivities at another nearby home.
"It couldn't be any more difficult. There's nothing in the world that could be," said Shelley Paton, Justin's mother. "We have no tree, no decorations. I can't stand Christmas music and I throw away Christmas cards. Most of the time, I don't answer the phone. It took the life out of our lives."
Don and Shelley Paton will retreat to a secluded cabin in the Upper Peninsula for Christmas this year, unable to face the holiday season their dead son loved so much.
"We try to be strong for each other, but it's all so heartbreaking," she said. "My way of doing it is to pretend it didn't happen. I can't even look at his picture. I haven't even been to the cemetery."
Jerry Carpentier is a longtime Paton family friend who watched Justin grow from a child into a young man. The holiday season will be difficult for Justin's family, but the one-year anniversary of his death in February will be worse, he said.
"You see his picture and you see his smile and you remember how he was. You laugh, you cry and you have your memories," Carpentier said.
Paton was deployed to Iraq as a member of the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
Blaskowski was serving his second tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Army's 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.
The deaths of the two young men left a resounding impact on the Cheboygan County community, said the Rev. Paul Megge from Cheboygan Catholic Community Church.
He presided at Blaskowski's funeral in October.
"People still have their flags out," Megge said. "When you hear 'let's pray for peace,' it really zeroes in on us. It directly affected us and still does."
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