As the holiday season approaches, our thoughts turn first to family and friends. Will everyone be able to get together for Thanksgiving dinner?

Where we will be and who will be with us on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or New Year's?

But what about those special people who are no longer with us?

Despite their physical absence, they are still important to us and remembering them helps keep them close.

Each year, FirstHealth Hospice and Palliative Care gives the community the opportunity to remember these very special loved ones in a very special way.

The program is called "Light Up a Life," and the 2006 tree-lighting ceremony will be held at 5 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 7, at the Hospice and Palliative Care office on Aviemore Drive in Pinehurst.

"Our tree-lighting is a very important time for our staff as it allows us to pay respect, not only to the families we serve, but also to the patients we have been privileged to care for," says Director Charlotte Patterson. "Our annual tree-lighting allows us to remember those who have been and still are important in our lives. It is a unique ceremony, and we are happy to share it with the community."

The Rev. John G. Tampa, the rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Southern Pines, will speak during the program.

Musical selections will be presented by the Sandhills Community College Ensemble and by soloist Glenda Clendenin.

Each light on the trees at FirstHealth Hospice and Palliative Care represents the life of an individual as well as a contribution that supports the Hospice and Palliative Care mission.

Anyone who would like to sponsor "Light Up a Life" in memory of -- or in honor of -- someone special can call the FirstHealth Hospice Foundation at 695-7500.