Others are grieving over broken relationships. The most notable of these would be divorce. I ve always argued that the church doesn t need to heap guilt upon those who are going through divorce because they suffer enough without it. Divorced people often find themselves saddened by the breaking of the usual holiday routines. Other families still get together but there is so much tension in the air that they are all relieved when the family reunion is over and they won t have to see each other for another year.
Some people experience anguish over their loneliness.
It seems that everybody is supposed to have family over at Christmas. I conducted the funeral services this week for our member, Madeline Ramsey, who often said that she had outlived her family and she was ready to celebrate Christmas in heaven. In fact, there are countless other circumstances which can make this season anything but happy. There are those in ill health, those who are unemployed or facing poverty, or those struggling with depression. All of these circumstances can contribute to a blue feeling, which may be made worst by all the expected happiness surrounding them.