Holidays are hard. This is supposedly the time of the year when people gather, swap stories, and catch up. The cold was meant to draw people to the hearths; yet, this year I fear it highlights for those who are in the cold just how harsh the winters can be.
As much as I love the warm fuzzies of Christmas, the nostalgia, they were fabricated to soften the harshness. Even the Christmas pageant is a commentary on desperation. A family making an arduous journey due to a political decree; rejection from hospitality; a hush-hush birth made known only to the lowly; the need to flee against persecution.
Christmas is a desperate time. And the weariness of it all weighs on you. That weariness builds momentum. I guess ultimately, we do what we can to survive, and believe as hard as we can that salvation is near, that grace awaits in the bleak midwinter
So as joyous as it is for many, equally I believe it is quite alright this season to feel the sadness, to understand that the darkness will be heightened in these times.
But if we understand anything about darkness, is that it makes a light burn brighter. So look for the little lights, pay attention to what glistens, and hold on to that for we have lived through enough winters to know that the story doesn’t end.
This year, I will not be wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Merry just sounds too contrived. Instead, I wish you a comfortable Christmas, I wish you warmth. May you get in touch with the light that shines deep in you, and if you have oil to spare, may you light it in those around you.
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