A White, Black or Blue Christmas?
The images that come to mind of a white Christmas come from many movies and Courier & Ives Christmas cards from times past. I always idealized the idea of waking up to snow, a glowing fireplace and a house full of laughter and lots of people on Christmas morning. I had none of these growing up in California. But, in my heart, I’ve always had a white Christmas, so there must be more to it than the external things.
In the past few years, moviemakers have gone out of their way to make the point that not everyone has a white, but a black Christmas. I respect free speech and creative artistry, but I also think Hollywood could spare us the darkness of their horror films and nightmare stories after Halloween.
Google revealed to me that some independent film captured our last title “Blue Christmas.” I had no knowledge of that, but a melody of an old song sure comes to mind as I say the words blue Christmas. Depending on your age, you can hear the tune in your head now that I’ve mentioned it, especially if your mom subjected you the Elvis’ Christmas album every December. The poor guy in the song was going to have a blue, blue, blue Christmas if he couldn’t be with his girl. Ah, it is here that we begin to capture the reality of Christmas.
A White Christmas is probably not very idealistic for the majority of the 6 billion people in our world. Millions are homeless, starving and in poverty. I’m unfamiliar with the black side of Christmas as some films seem to depict, but I believe there is a dark side, an evil adversary that oppresses. So perhaps some will identify with a black Christmas. However, a Blue Christmas could easily describe the emptiness and loneliness many feel during this time of programmed merriment in societies all around the world.
Handling grief and sorrow will be a daily internal exercise for many who find themselves in the middle of a season designed to use external devices as a catalyst to accomplish an ideal internal feeling of happiness. How are we to combine the two? We can’t. So the quicker we stop trying the better we’ll be.
Jesus the Christ came into this world. Yes, he is called “Wonderful Counselor…Prince of Peace” but he is also…a Man of sorrow and acquainted with grief…Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…any by his stripes [and death on the cross] we are healed. He also heals the brokenhearted.1-3
There’s more to Christmas than what we see going on “out there.” Christmas is for you. Jesus came to heal your broken heart, to give you peace in the loneliest hour of your grief, and to be your wonderful counselor. He is God’s gift to you. Will you accept it?
Click here for insight into the Hope that comes because of what Christmas signifies.
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