"I'll have a blue Christmas without you. You'll be doing alright with your Christmas of white, but I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas!"

Some of you will recognize this song sung by my favourite crooner, Elvis Presley! I enjoy every Christmas song that he sings, even his "Blue Christmas". But this time of the year, experts begin to warn of "Christmas blues" that hit many people without warning, like those who mourn over fresh graves, and those who can only hope that next year will be better. As one who suffers from depression all year long, I can tell you that my condition can be greatly exacerbated at this time of the year.

I tend to be a "Hallmark wannabe" kind of girl — you know — those happily-ever-after kinds of people portrayed in the movies. I watch those movies knowing full well how they will end. Christmas will reign in the hearts of sweethearts; mistletoe will save the day; and children, puppies, and the homeless will find new homes! I tear up just thinking about it.

So many times, we play those perfect Christmases in our heads until we think that if we have anything less, then we have failed. I am so guilty of this kind of thinking. My husband will tell you that, so predictably, I begin to want more than I have about this time of the season! My gift giving falls short of what I wanted to give, and my decorations should have been better. Why didn't I learn to play the piano so that I could sing Christmas carols at family gatherings? I call this "Hallmark overload". What's the answer to these dreaded feelings of "Why can't Christmas be as great as Hallmark portrays it?" Though I think that we cannot ignore real clinical depression that may come at this time of the year and that we must treat it seriously, I think that we can take positive steps to fight off these "blues".

Being a veteran of depression and the Christmas blues sometimes, the antidote is to praise God (even if I don't feel like it) for all that He has given me! Even as I typed these words, I had to stop and do my own praising! "I praise You, Lord, for Your goodness, Your awesomeness, and the remarkable hope that You give to all of us. I praise You, Father, for loving us so much that You were willing to send Your one and only Son as a helpless baby, Who would one day die for our sins. I praise You for helping me, a Hallmarkaholic, to see the hope that can be found only in You! I praise You, Lord that in the midst of depression, I need only to whisper Your name to feel that hope, even if just a glimmer! I praise You, Lord, when You say, "Be still and know that I am God!"

Yes, praising God helps us to look at the bright side of things. God is always at work, even when we can't see it. I encourage you to begin your own prayer of praise — right now!

Psalm 146:1-2 – Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. (NKJV)

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About the author:

Jeanie Nihiser <jnihiserj@gmail.com>
Geneseo, New York, USA
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