When the Christmas activity is over, what then? When the carols have faded away, the gift wrapping paper has been burned, and families have returned, what then? When the star of Bethlehem has faded into the starless heavens of human activity, what then? Is there a letdown in your life when the most exciting season of the year has ended? Do you search diligently for something to replace the emotional high of Christmas festivities? Yes, it happens to all of us to some degree. but it should not be that way. Depression after Christmas may indicate that we missed the real meaning of His birth. Christmas is not an end. It is a beginning. It is not the only joyous time of the year, but a symbol of the joy we may have every day in Christ. To be sad after Christmas may be a natural response to the absence of loved ones and family activities. However, there can be a lingering joy of memories and meaningful times of worship.
From a spiritual perspective Christmas should be a revival of our zest for living. It should renew our capacity to trust God and one another for a happiness that is not seasonal. It should revitalize our perception of the gift of forgiveness, love and grace, which is really what that manger birth was all about.
To be sad after Christmas is to forget that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. The new year comes to remind us that old things have passed away and that in Christ we find a place to begin again. Every day is brighter because of that Christmas star. Every song is sweeter because the angels sang. Here is where a merry Christmas gives rise to a happy New Year.
May it be so for you.
