Do you ever feel sad at Christmas?? Does it ever feel like the world around you seems full of joy and cheer with the music, decorations, Hallmark movies, and traditions?
If you have felt this way, has it ever felt like you’re alone in your Christmas blues? Like everyone else got some special Christmas magic and you just missed out?
Well, I’m right there with you.
This Christmas season I’ve been feeling pretty blue at times. I’ve moved to a new town, I’m hours away from home, and I won’t be able to go home until after Christmas day. My normal Christmas traditions are gone and I’m spending a lot more time alone this Christmas season. For someone who has never spent Christmas away from home (and someone who struggles to adapt to change), not being able to go home has left me feeling sad and depressed.
And you know why it’s left me feeling all these negative emotions?
To put it bluntly…I’ve missed the point of Christmas.
My whole life I’ve gotten caught up in the temporary highs of Christmas: the snow, the carols, the movies, the lights, the presents, and the cookies. It’s hard for me to imagine how Christmas is possible without those traditions.
If there are no “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Holiday Inn,” what’s the point of Christmas?
If there are no “Jingle Bells” and “Winter Wonderland,” what’s the point of Christmas?
If there are no Christmas trees and ornaments what’s the point of Christmas?
If there are no cutout cookies and Christmas treats, what’s the point of Christmas?
None of those traditions and ‘Christmas things’ bring true meaning to the Christmas season because they are not the point.
The point of Christmas is Jesus!
Jesus, the Son of God, who was born as a baby to become the Son of Man is what Christmas is all about. It’s about the Creator of the world who entered into the story He’s writing to live and die to bring His creation back into relationship with Him.
That’s the point of Christmas.
Not the lights, not the snow, not the presents, not the traditions, but JESUS Christ, the anointed Messiah and Savior of His world.
As cheesy as it sounds, Jesus truly is the reason for the season of Christmas. He came to Earth to be born as a baby (stop and think about that for a second…the Son of God was a baby and a little kid just like you and me!) so that He could grow up to die as a man.
Christmas reminds us that Jesus, the Son of God, came to be with us (Emmanuel, which means “God with us”) and to die for us. He did this to save us from our sins, and to reconcile us back to God our Father and Creator.
So if Christmas this year feels drab, depressing, pointless, or it just doesn’t feel right, remind yourself of this truth: no matter how you feel, Jesus is and always will be the point of Christmas.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 (CSB)
The true meaning of Christmas doesn’t change with your circumstances. Each season of your life will look different and each Christmas will look different—no matter how hard you try to make them the same.
Don’t rely on Christmas traditions to give you joy this holiday season. Rely on Jesus who is unchanging.
Jesus is the reason for the season! Jesus is the point of Christmas! It’s the birth of our Savior, the Hope of the world, that makes Christmas a holiday worth celebrating!
It’s because of this truth that I don’t have to be sad this Christmas—that you don’t have to be sad this Christmas.
Rejoice! A Savior has been born!
But the angel said to them [shepherds], “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to people he favors!
When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
Luke 2:10-15 (CSB, emphasis added)
Here is my Christmas challenge to you (and to myself!):
- Find an Advent/Christmas study to go through this Christmas season (see below for ideas!)
- I’ve done this in the past with a friend. We would go through the reading on our own and then we meet a few times at a coffee shop to discuss what we learned.
- Ask God to reveal to you someone that you need to invite to Church on Christmas Eve, and then rely on the Holy Spirit to give you the boldness to do it! (Read the story of Queen Esther if you need the inspiration to be bold!)
- If you aren’t going to church anywhere currently, then I challenge you to visit some churches this Christmas season and pick one to make your home! (Don’t forget to shower this search in prayer!)
- Choose/make up a new Christmas tradition to have this year that will help you focus on Jesus this season. (Need some ideas, read my first blog post here.)
Don’t let your feelings make you miss the point of Christmas. Feeling ebb and flow, but Jesus never changes.
Even when the Christmas season feels sad, we can stop and remember that the point of Christmas is the coming of the long-awaited Messiah: Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of the world.
Jesus is the Hope of the world and the reason for the season. And that is something that NEVER will change! Isn’t that reason enough to rejoice this Christmas?!
Merry Christmas friend!
Additional Resources:
Resources for FREE:
—> Calico and Twine Advent plan (I’m slowly going through this one)
—> Truth Talks with Tara podcast Christmas series (I’ve been listening along + there’s an easy-to-enter giveaway!)
—> Advent video series on Right Now Media (see if your church has access to this amazing Christian video platform)
—> a YouVersion Advent/Christmas Bible reading plan (a free Bible app with unlimited Bible reading plans!)
—> “Behold the Lamb of God” album by Andrew Peterson (the songs on this album put the Christmas story in a whole new perspective for me this year!)
—> Songs to ponder this Christmas season (link here)
Resources that cost money:
—> Keeping Christmas by Allison Pittman (a 25-day Advent devotional based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol; I’ve read it before and I’m currently reading it again!)
—> The Christmas Blessing by Donna VanLiere (a Christian novel about Christmas miracles; I’m currently reading it again for like the third or fourth time!)
Eternally Planted 