The Church Year

When the Holidays Aren’t So Happy

For many, Christmas is sleigh bells, mistletoe, eggnog and presents – in other words, it’s all Ho!, Ho!, Ho!. For others it’s the hardest time of the year. If you are in the second camp – and you are wondering if you have the energy to make it to January – keep reading. If you are in the first group, keep reading as well, because you need to know how hard this time of year is for many around you. It took me an embarrassingly long time to grasp the level of pain December brings.  Thankfully, at some point I realized that that something lay behind the spike in pastoral emergencies we face every time this year – e.g., domestic violence, marital breakdowns, suicides, drug and alcohol abuse, etc.What’s going on?  Why are Christmas and New Year so difficult for so many?  Here are a few of the reasons:

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