It's the holiday season, but for troops spending their second Christmas far from home in Afghanistan, there are few reasons to celebrate.

In Camp Julien, there are signs of the season -- decorations line the dining halls, and the strains of an occasional carol can be heard.

But for many of the troops working 16-hour days keeping Kabul safe, there's not a lot of time to think about holidays.

For Master Corporal Cory Surgeson, one of 700 soldiers from CFB Edmonton serving in Afghanistan, it's getting harder to explain to his family why he's not home.

"My daughter, she looks at it as if I'm going away to help all the good people," he said, admitting that it's getting harder to convince himself that's true.

After his recent trip to visit Canadian troops in Afghanistan, military ombudsman Andre Marin said most are overworked.

Mental health nurse Capt. Brian Harvey says those working conditions are a real drag on yuletide cheer.

"Quite frankly, it's hard to get into the Christmas mood. It's hard to get in the Christmas mood in Canada if you're busy, but it can be really hard here at times," he said.

To curb the inevitable homesickness, soldiers serving in Kabul get three weeks home leave. Surgeson took his in November, when he and his wife and daughter celebrated an early Christmas.

Back home in Edmonton, Surgeson's wife Ashlynn is getting through the season on memories of the Christmas celebrated a month ago.

"Make the memories when you can make the memories and cherish those ones," Ashlynn Surgeson told CTV's Edmonton affiliate, CFRN News.

From Kabul, Surgeson says he's thankful for the respite, but remembers that, "It didn't really even feel like Christmas."

Now on his third six-month tour in Afghanistan, Surgeson's frustration is growing along with the feeling his work there is not really making a difference.

But he's coping by living, "one day at a time. Each day you're one day closer to being home," he said.

And, to tide Surgeson and his colleagues over in the meantime, telephones are available 24 hours a day. The army has also brought in a videoconferencing system that, when it's working, let's soldiers and their families see each other while they talk.

But military doctor Lt. Col. Henry Flaman admits those measures are often not enough.

"There are disorders such as depression that may sneak up on people that they don't realize are there and that haven't been picked up on the normal screening processes."

Surgeson admits he often finds himself feeling low.

"I'd say the hardest part is when I wake up in the morning and I don't get to see my wife and my daughter."

Back in Edmonton, Ashlynn shares her husband's pain.

"He's making the sacrifice so we sacrifice for him so he's not feeling like he's missing out because he's the one away from everything he knows and loves."

"Oh, we miss him," she added. "That makes me sad, but I can't tell you how proud it makes me that he's over there and doing that."

"As long as this is what he wants to do, I support him 110 per cent."

To let the troops know all of Canada is behind them, Governor General Adrienne Clarkson plans to ring in the new year with soldiers serving overseas.

Whether she plans to drop in on troops in the Afghanistan or one of the 16 other nations Canadians are deployed to, however, is being kept under wraps for security reasons.

Last year, Clarkson counted down to midnight in Afghanistan.

Canadians who want to send their own message of support can do so on a special message board posted on the Canadian Armed Forces Website.