TAMPA, Fla. — Grief has no clear season. Debbie Wallace mourns the loss of her son, Rodney Higgins, every day of the year.

The marine died by suicide.

"He literally went behind a church by a cross, and instead of going to work on a Friday, he was gone," Wallace said. "I thought he was doing great. He had just come back from a ski trip."

Seven years later, the pain is still raw. So when Christmas rolls around, it's not easy.

"I tell you that first holiday, I didn't have nothing," Wallace said. "And I hated everything about Christmas."

This year, Wallace debated over a Christmas tree. She hadn't put one up since her son's death.

"I work so hard on healing my heart. I just started feeling it's time," she said. 

She posted on social media. Since then, a giving community has been helping her heal. Strangers have donated gift cards for ornaments. A family even gave her a Christmas tree.

"When I came out it was on my doorstep and I just started crying," Wallace said.

She calls it a "Suicide Awareness Tree." The branches are filled with pictures and an ornament from her son. Looking at it gives Wallace a reason to smile this holiday, and she wants others to smile too.

"This tree isn't just for my son, because he wouldn't want that," she said. "He would want it to be for everybody."

And Wallace is not stopping there. She is also adding little rubber ducks at parks and other places. She wants children to see. It's a reminder from her son to be kind.

"I'm doing this to put a smile on people's faces," she said.

It makes a difference, no matter the season.

If you or someone you love is struggling, contact The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Help is available 24/7.