It didn't come under a tree, and it didn't come with a receipt.  But this Christmas, the friends and family of soldiers fighting in Iraq received possibly the greatest gift of all. It was a tearful celebration but it's something Sergeant Brent Holland has seen before.

"I've been deployed three different times with three different companies," said Holland. "One year is a long time to be away from home."

Holland and his company marched toward a crowd that had been anxiously awaiting their return for nearly 12 hours.

"The reaction goes from screaming to jumping to standing on chairs to running," said retired U.S. Army soldier Robert Ellerman. "It's a joy just to see the looks on these soldiers faces when they come back to their families. It will bring a tear to your eye, it's very touching."

But for someone who knows full well he could be sacrificing his life in the pursuit of liberty, Holland wasn't done sacrificing quite yet.

"This is my third deployment so many family has been through this a couple times before," he said. "With the severe weather being what it is, I just told them to stay home."

It's something still indescribable, even after the third time around.