COLORADO SPRING, Colo. (KOAA) — The holidays can be especially difficult for families grieving the loss of a loved one. For some, it's their first Christmas without someone they love, while others have been navigating this pain for years.

Darla Barbee knows this struggle intimately. She's learning to cope with the holidays after losing her adoptive daughter, Esmeralda "Ezzy" Contreras-Mata, who was a victim of domestic violence.

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"Every time that seat at the table is empty, it's hard," Barbee said.

Barbee needed time to process her grief after such a devastating loss.

"There's no getting over it. There's no healing from it," she said. "The days get better, the days get easier than they were before, but it's something

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