Blue Christmas
Snow angels and sugar plums. Gifts wrapped with big red bows. Tables set with china and flowers. Food shared with family and friends. Candlelight services at church where everyone sings “Silent Night.”
That’s Christmas, right? For some people it is, but for others ...
Someone has died. Someone is deployed. Someone is missing. Someone is hungry. Someone needs a job. Someone is desperate. But, no one says out loud, “I hate Christmas.” It just isn’t done.
Churches understand this. While they plan congregational dinners, children’s programs, Nativity scenes and caroling, many churches also plan services that speak to sad hearts, for whom the season isn’t necessarily merry and bright. These services go by different names: Blue Christmas, Longest Night or Time of Remembrance.
As someone who lost my mother this year, I recognize the need for this type of service – a service of prayer, music, liturgy, candles, anointing, and healing – even more than usual this year.
A Blue Christmas service recognizes the loss and loneliness that can be felt during the holidays due to death, disease, poverty, or abuse. It is a service that specifically enables individuals to experience their grief, as well as express what they are feeling, so they can find a sense of calm and hope. We hold space for those grieving during the holidays.
In the past, a Blue Christmas tended to be held on the longest night of the year: the winter solstice. But we now recognize that the sadness and loneliness of the holidays comes on earlier, often with Thanksgiving or the early secular focus on Christmas. So churches are now scheduling “Blue Christmas” services earlier in the season to meet the need.
Many people walk through each day with a smile on their face, covering up what they are actually feeling deep down inside. A Blue Christmas service gives these individuals the opportunity to express how they are feeling, without fear of judgment or shock. They know they are in good company. With the soft lighting, calm music, and an opportunity to share, individuals feel they can come forth, lay it all out, and process their grief in a safe space.
We hope you will join us for our Blue Christmas service, held with Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, here at High Street UMC on Tuesday, December 5, at 7pm in the sanctuary. All are welcome.