The Cause and the Cure of Christmas Melancholy

"The worst sadness on Christmas comes from the hollow celebration thereof, when misguided souls drink for the sake of drinking, feast for the sake of eating, and open presents for the sake of opening presents."

From Crisis

By Kennedy Hall

Christmas is a haunting season, both in the sense that it is hauntingly beautiful and a time of great expectation for something that breaks reality in two.

The holiday season fast approaches, or we might say it has already begun in an unofficial sense, what with work Christmas parties and Santa Claus parades happening throughout December. And, with all the merriment and excitement that comes with the season, there is always an element of sadness or melancholy in the lives of some; or perhaps there is a bit of it in each of us, only it is more or less acute. 

This has always been the case. Thus, we see the theme of tormented souls dealing with bitterness and sadness in everything from Dickens to Dr. Seuss. It is interesting, considering it is, on the one hand, the happiest time of the year, that we can all relate to a deep interior disturbance that may afflict us while the world seems to be in a state of joy.

This is, however, completely natural if we consider what the season brings with it. Family gatherings and feasts are blessings and occasions for spirited happiness, but they may also be the first time the family has gathered since a loved one has passed, or we may know that this feast with Grandpa will be the last one before Grandpa enters eternity. We must also contend with the fact that Christmas comes at the very end of the year, when we may realize that our intentions for the year were not fully accomplished or that the next year may bring painful changes. Of course, financially, Christmas can be a strain for reasons that are obvious to all. 

In any event, we are all acquainted with why this season can seem darker than it ought when homes are lit more than they usually are. But, there are deeper reasons why melancholy manifests itself.

Christmas is a haunting season, both in the sense that it is hauntingly beautiful and a time of great expectation for something that breaks reality in two.

It is hauntingly beautiful in the same way that a snowy forest is hauntingly beautiful. The beauty of the crisp, white snow and the tempered light of the winter sun are enough to inspire you to write poetry. However, a snowy forest is also asleep, which means it is dead and quiet, and the dead quiet of a forest is both peaceful and eerie. It is so silent that you can hear your heartbeat under your coat, and you realize that your heart is beating in a living body that walks in a dead place; a walk through the beautiful dead forest reminds you that, one day, the winter will cover you as well. 

When we walk through such a setting where all is quiet, and every non-white figure is seen more clearly than it would be if the background were green, sometimes our eyes almost start to play tricks on us. We can’t help but turn our heads in the direction of every sound that grabs our attention, even though we have no idea what we expect to see.

Christmas comes with the greatest expectation; we wait in expectation of the Infant who came in the dead of night, in a cold cave, and who exerted so much power over the whole world that He divided time itself. 

We live in the epoch of time that came after Him, but we transport ourselves to the epoch of expectation that came before Him each year while we await His coming. We have waited for it every year, and we should not be surprised; but every year, on 24 December, we lay our heads to rest, knowing that when the morning comes, we will be in something like a new world. Christmas Day, since the First Christmas Day, has never been and can never be a normal day. It is impossible to wake up on that day without knowing that you have awoken into something new, almost as if you have awoken into a time of promise.

However, the light of Christmas that greets us all on Christmas morning can quickly vanish for some. Aside from the reasons mentioned above, there is a deeper sadness that is self-inflicted and not a result of external factors or events. 

The worst sadness on Christmas comes from the hollow celebration thereof, when misguided souls drink for the sake of drinking, feast for the sake of eating, and open presents for the sake of opening presents. So many have rejected Christ or forgotten Him to the point that they do not remember rejecting him in the first place. But, year after year, they stuff their turkeys, trim their trees, and prepare their eggnog in great anticipation for the most wonderful time of the year; but it never really comes. 
This is because souls who live away from Christ sojourn through a wintery forest with no hope of summer and no belief in the sun. When they think of the loved ones who used to be at the table—as we all do—they can only mourn with their emotions but without the grace afforded to Christians who have hope of eternal life. They tell stories of Christmases long, long ago but cannot look forward to an Eternal Banquet for which each Christmas feast is a dress rehearsal. 

In settings like this, it is unavoidable that so many holiday gatherings are marred by infighting and bitterness. These are the homes of Scrooge, where with age and the weathering of life without God, hearts become hardened. No amount of presents under the tree, drinks on a Caribbean beach, or shortbread cookies can fill the void that is left in the soul with the deepest profundity when Christmas is celebrated without Christ.

The arrival of Christ does not only split time in two—into a time before and after Him—but it splits reality itself, and we choose which side to be on. On the one side, we will have Him; and on the other, we will have ourselves and nothing more. 

On the side of Christ, we will still have our hardships, and our Christmas Day may be afflicted with certain sadnesses, but we will know that that sadness will be melted away because the Son came so that He could rise and turn winter into summer.