Singing the Christmas Blues - Remembering Sad Friends and Family at Christmas

Christmas for some people is not the happiest time of the year. Christmas can trigger depression, unhappiness and loneliness. Christmas is not always about joy and good cheer, but elicits memories of past pain, loss and sorrow. Life's hard moments do not stop for the holidays and each holiday is a reminder of such events.

Holidays evoke a rollercoaster of emotions. Often the emotions are either joyful or gloomy, or blah, where no interest in the holidays exists. How often have people been described as Scrooge-like and "Christmas is bah humbug?" Perhaps we have too many expectations exist about Christmas as the happiest time of the year. Possibly we should step back a moment and realize some people do not enjoy the holiday season.

Our cheerfulness to people suffering Christmas blues can be irritating and emotionally overwhelming. The worst action we can take with those suffering the Christmas blues is to ignore their feelings and push Christmas joyfulness on them. Pushing Christmas on people may make them resentful and increase their sense of misery and unhappiness. The flipside of Christmas blues is to not let them rob us of our Christmas joy. A balance is required to acknowledge our joy and their Christmas blues.

During the Christmas holidays, people feeling sad need to feel they are not alone. For example, if a loved one or friend has lost a mate recently, or during this holiday, the sense of loss at Christmas can be overwhelming. Spreading some quiet Christmas cheer can be accomplished by spend time with them, without bringing up the Christmas season. A cup of coffee shared, a lunch, and a few minutes of conversation may make a huge difference in their sadness.

No one says to spend time with friends and family experiencing the Christmas blues is without challenges. Of course, the "easiest" approach is avoidance until after the holidays, using excuses of a busy schedule or schedule conflicts. Remember, Christmas is the season of love and giving. Avoidance of another's sorrow is not in the true spirit of Christmas.

The most cherished gifts cannot be purchased, but given from the heart. Making the effort to remember them during Christmas is a wonderful gift. Respecting their choice not to celebrate the Christmas season because of their inability to find joy will be a welcome relief to many sad people. Perhaps one day, they will find joy once more in the Christmas holidays, and we will be remembered with love and gratitude for supporting them during such a sad and painful time.