Only 9 days left until Christmas! (and only three nights left of Hanukkah!)

Happy holidays to one and all, from your very lazy blogger.

I promise that this site will undergo a major revamp in the new decade.

But until then, let’s take some time to talk about how the winter holidays relate to mental illness.
It’s not as strange a topic as you might think. The Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/New Year’s season emphasizes happiness and joy, but many people don’t feel that way - especially this year, with a recession, unemployment, swine flu, two wars and tons of other bad news.

Even in a good year, the holidays can conjure up feelings of grief and sadness, as people mourn lost loved ones who are no longer around, or other tough circumstances in their lives, such as a divorce.

And of course, many old family conflicts resurface this time of year, as people spend time with relatives they may not like or who present them with unresolved issues.

For those facing a “stable Christmas” this year, instead of a “star Christmas” (as my parents’ pastor memorably put it in one of his Christmas Eve sermons), there are some options.

Many churches have started offering “Blue Christmas,” “Christmas Mourning” or “Longest Night” services to give people who need to a chance to grieve.

And to fight the overriding commercialism of the holidays, another movement that’s gaining ground is the Advent Conspiracy. Advent is the four-week penitential season on the church calendar that precedes Christmas and emphasizes preparing not just for the celebration of Christ’s birth, but for his second coming. (Think of it as a shorter, slightly happier version of Lent.) To reclaim the season, the Advent Conspiracy urges people to “give more and spend less” and focus on worship and giving to those who are really in need.

As Time magazine reports,

(Portland, Ore., pastor Rick) McKinley likes to point out that a fraction of the money Americans spend at retailers in the month of December could supply the entire world with clean water. If more Christians changed how they thought about giving at Christmas, he says, the holiday could be transformative in a religious and practical sense.

Whatever you celebrate this month, I hope you find a way to give to those who can’t give back. (And who knows? If you’re dealing with sadness, helping others just might make you feel better.)

And for my fellow Christians,

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15, NIV)