December has its own kind of sparkle. Lights on every corner, music in every store, peppermint mochas calling my name. It’s like the world turns into one big Christmas card. Everyone’s jingling bells, and I’m over here creaking like one. Because here’s the truth, nobody puts on the Hallmark channel: holiday energy and chronic pain do not mix like sugar and spice. They collide. My head says, “Yes! Let’s go to the parade, the cookie swap, the candlelight service, the shopping t