Christmas Blues

The Griswolds- from the movie "Christmas Vacation".











One of my favorite Christmas movies is National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. It may contain a few coarse scenes, but it contains some surprisingly poignant and truthful realness at times. Here is a man and his family who are trying to have a happy Christmas celebration. Instead, the experience turns into one comical disaster after another. Through it all though, our hero, Clark Griswold, is determined to make it the best Christmas celebration ever for his family and guests. He had a noble quest. He had set high standards for his Christmas celebration to be labeled a success. However, there was a big difference in what the goal was and what the outcome was. Finally, in the end, some Christmas joy was achieved, thanks to the Santa Clause and the reindeer decorations getting blown up. I fall out of my chair laughing every time I watch that part.

This is the pre-Christmas season, identified as Advent on the liturgical calendar. In case you are not familiar with what Advent is- it is a season of great meaning which includes the preparation of our hearts for the commemoration of the first coming of Jesus Christ into the world at Christmas, as well as His second coming yet to come. Among other things the Advent season brings is a time of reflection on who we are in Christ and what we are called to be, according to the Word of God. It is a season of penitence. If that word seems theologically foreign to you, then think of it as nothing more than determining what you really are and what you really know you should be. After this time of reflection, the intent is to seek God’s forgiveness and then His grace and guidance to become the Christian that you should be and He has destined you to be.

Therefore, Advent is a time of coming face to face with where we are and where we know we should be, spiritually speaking. The majority of us then determine that we have a difference in the two spiritual positions. This difference can be dramatic enough to cause some uncomfortable feelings. These feelings can produce depression, withdrawal, and a condition otherwise known as “the Christmas blues”. It occurs during this pre- Christmas (Advent) season a lot it seems. Why shouldn’t it? After all, this is the season to reflect on who we are and what we have done and then compare it to a higher standard.

In the Christmas Vacation movie, our hero had set a high standard for a family celebration. As Christians, we know the scriptures and we know we are children of the Most High God. However, we feel discouragement and some depressive feelings if we don’t meet what we conclude are the Lord’s expectations of us. We then, sometimes, conclude that we have failed ourselves and/or God.

Now, I have great news. If Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord, you are God’s precious child. You are a child bought by the blood of His only Son, who’s first coming we celebrate at Christmas. You are a child who God has promised He will never forsake. Did you see that? NEVER forsake. You will never deviate from His plan for your life far enough for Him to give up on you. So, maybe it is wise to never give up on Him. If He is not your Savior today, there is no better season of the year to ask Him to come into your life, and by so doing repent (turn) from your past and follow Him as Lord.

The deviations from the paths we take and God’s paths can cause “blues” anytime. Christmas seems to make them more pronounced. The Christmas blues can be like a tangible signal to the believer that they need to correct some of life’s trajectories. That is not a comfortable feature of penitence, but it is healthy. Sort of like taking medicine that may not taste good, but has a healthy result. The cure for the Christmas blues? There are many places where a short-lived cure can be found, but only one place where the eternal cure begins. A manger in a place called Bethlehem.



Merry Christmas,
George