The holiday season can conjure up images of festive gatherings of family and loved ones, laughing and eating around a table full of delicious food, nostalgic stories, and holiday music. Joy is served up, as thick and rich as the banana cream pie, while everyone catches up on happy news.  Cut to reality: We know that life is not like the one depicted in the movie “Pleasantville,” where there are never any natural disasters, hardships, or illness. Real life, especially during family gatherings and the holidays, forces us to confront immense challenges, including one that affects one in three women and one in two men: cancer.