“You’ll be doin’ all right, with your Christmas of white. But I’ll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas.”

Most of us have begun to listen to our favorite Christmas music. Holiday songs such as, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, “Silver Bells”, “Deck the Halls”, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” are some of the songs we enjoy this time of year. Songs with a spiritual message such as “O Holy Night”, “Silent Night”, “Joy to the World” and the “The First Noel” help us reflect upon the birth of our Savior. The songs of this season bring us joy and help us remember the greatest gift ever given to us.

Yet, there are is one song that we hear this time of year that is filled with sadness and longing. It’s a song about loss and the pain that it brings. It’s a song that reminds us that Christmas can be a painful time as well. “Blue Christmas” is a song that reveals that all may not be well at Christmas.

You might be experiencing a “blue Christmas” this year. You may have suffered the breakup of a marriage, dating relationship or close friendship. Some of us have experienced the death of a loved one since last Christmas and this will be our first Christmas without them. Jobs have been lost this past year and you may be mourning as you look for new employment. It could be that the strain of this year due to the pandemic and other unrest in our country has got you down. There are various reasons why we may be experiencing a “blue Christmas” this year.

If you are feeling down this holiday season, I hope you will return to the story that provides the meaning of Christmas. It’s the story of a baby who was born in a manger over two thousand years ago. It’s the story of the birth of our Savior who knew the griefs and pains you would be experiencing because he also felt this grief himself. He felt the loss of relationships. He felt the stress and strain of the conflicts of this world. He felt the darkness and evil of this world and the pain it can cause. He knows your grief because He has felt it.

It’s why he was born in that manger. He came to redeem us. He came to save us. He came so that we can experience a life without grief when all is said and done. He came that we might have hope as we face the grief and loss of this world. He came to experience death so that we could experience eternal life. He came to give Himself so the pain and loss of a blue Christmas would not define us or conclude our story.

If you are experiencing a blue Christmas, remember the hope that is found in Christ. Remember the promise He has given us and the life that is yours. As your heart heals as you focus on this hope, I pray that you are filled with the joy that only Christ can offer. We have hope and joy because of the love He has given.

Blue Christmases will come and go. Our hope in Christ will remain. Focus on that hope this Christmas as you reflect upon the birth of the greatest gift that has ever been given.