["My friend couldn't make it for Thanksgiving last year. My family and I felt let down about it.", "Sometimes things come up. It's hard to travel during the holidays. Especially if your friend has kids.", "That's true and although I do understand his reasons, it didn't change how deflated we felt about it. We really looked forward to their visit."]
Maybe this year will be different.
My close friend said he couldn't visit us for thanksgiving last year. It was such a let down for the whole family.