Happy? Christmas happy?
    You know, holly-jolly happy,
        joy-to-the-world happy,
            most-wonderful-time-of-the-year happy?

Would you know it if you weren't?
    Has the pressure to be merry and bright
        blinded you to your own sadness?

How would you know if this were happening?
    What comes up for you
        if you sit alone in silence for 20 minutes?

That might tell you.

And it is okay if, in that splendid silence,
    you discover a pool of sadness
        you'd covered with wrapping paper and gift tags.

We all do this.

The wonder of Christmas is that it is not,
    in fact, all gladness and light.
        There are those left behind,
            those isolated and lonely,
                those seeking, but not finding, refuge.

The essence of Christmas,
    as found in the gospel stories,
        is loaded with as much darkness as light,

and ends–did you know this?–
    with the Holy Family in exile,
        refugees in a foreign country.

Refugees, fleeing death at home.

Hmm…sounds pretty relevant.

So the cozy manger scene
    yields to a last-minute, late-night escape
        through desert and darkness.

How much can you pack
    on one beleaguered donkey
        already burdened with a mom and a newborn?

So be as merry and cozy as you want;
    Christmas comes with light, hope, wonder–all for you–
        as you are ready.

And be as sad and exiled as you need to be;
    Christmas comes with darkness, fear, loneliness–all for you–
        as you are ready.

There's room for you in both stable (warm and welcoming)
    and wilderness (cold and foreboding).

God waits in both.

Text and image © 2023 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.
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