This Christmas feels paradoxical. I wonder if you can relate. Part of me—the wife and mom in me—is looking forward to a simple celebration with those I love most. But my heart also … carries the weight of conflicting emotions. Perhaps my undercurrents of melancholy stem from the weather—less light each day, the blue sky of fall blanketed in gray, and nights that come sooner and lasts longer. It could also be because holidays and birthdays, historically, haven’t always felt so nostalgic or enjoyable.
And then there’s the loss of my dad, who I would’ve called today, despite the fact that he hated Christmas, and would likely tell me so. And the loss of my funny, brilliant and oh, so humble father-in-law two years prior.
Yet that’s also why Christmas feels so profound. Christ entered a world with relational, emotional, and global chaos. He saw our darkness and despair and didn’t turn away. Instead, He responded with a compassion that drew Him close. He left heaven’s glory, took on flesh, stepped into our brokenness, and later, carried the weight of the world’s sin and sorrow on His shoulders so we could experience healing, freedom, and relational intimacy with the God who never leaves.
When this season feels confusing, when praise and sorrow, joy and grief, intertwine, I celebrate because:
Christ came.
Pain and hardship won’t get the final say.
Love reigns.
Hope prevails.
Light remains and holds the power to chase the deepest darkness away.
If your heart feels torn…
If you’re grateful and grieving…
If you love the season but feel the ache beneath it…
If anxiety hums quietly in the background alongside your smiles…
I see you. I get it. And so does Jesus. On Christmas morning, He came for you. He’s still coming for you—in your hard and in your joy—and He won’t leave.
Because of His presence, Immanuel, God with us: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”— Isaiah 9:2
Merry Christmas, friend. Hold tight to this truth: the best is yet to come.
I feel the same way about all the hoopla over Christmas, utterly exhausting and a complete distraction from the message.
I buy nothing for my family by mutual agreement, kids all grown up, but I do prepare a large gift box of presents for a single mother of 4 children whose husband abandoned them, I give her a large monetary gift as well.
This keeps my conscience at rest with the warm and fuzzy’s
Hello, Carol!
Thank you for taking the time to pop in and engage in conversation! I love how you know how you want to celebrate the season and guard that! I also love that you are so generous to those in need during this season. God’s abundant blessings, my friend!