Jubilant
ju . bi . lant /adjective/ exultant, triumphant, joyful, gleeful, ecstatic, thrilled
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” the song says, and the sounds of Christmas are emerging as the special day draws closer. Jubilant, our word for this week, rings with the joyful melody of Christmas. Something seems to happen in mid-December to put everyone but the diehard Scrooges in a jubilant mood. Christmastime is a joyous time– with the forever-new beloved carols, fresh renditions of Handel’s Messiah, the anticipation in the eyes of children, the bustling crowds of shoppers. All of this activity makes the air electric with joy and lifts the spirits. It’s the time that reminds us of the long-ago angel-song: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.”
Yet, around us a different scenario is playing out. When we watch television talk programs and read some of the articles in popular magazines, especially those aimed at women, we get a cloudy picture that points to ” holiday blues” and depression. Although we might not like to think of this rather somber side of Christmas, it is a reality that the season is not all joy for a great many people. A WebMD article states that for many among us, “the Christmas season is a time filled with sadness, self-reflection, loneliness, and anxiety.” The article identifies some of these joy-stealers as stress, fatigue, unrealistic expectations, financial stress, and the inability to be with friends and family at this time of heightened togetherness. This seems like quite a load to be carrying at a time when “peace and good will” should predominate. The advice given in the article is, “Don’t put all your energies into one day.” Spread out the holiday cheer into different events, it encourages, instead of using up all your energies on one activity. Take breaks and pace yourself. I would add that we can help to mitigate the unwelcome feelings by remembering that Christmas is not just a holiday, but the celebration of the One Who “salvation brings.” We can find boundless joy and peace in Him.
One of the main sources of holiday stress is the obligatory gift-giving and not having enough money to give a gift that makes a statement. A few days ago, I listened to a morning radio program in which the hosts talked about their plans for gift-giving for the holidays. The female cohost said she and her family had decided to make their gifts this year, sticking to things that have meaning for the person receiving the gift. That is a wonderful idea. Such gifts give of the self and should bring cheer to the recipients and make the real meaning of the season shine through.
Teachers, especially those in the lower grades, are experts at focusing their students’ minds on the meaning of Christmas by guiding them in making gifts for family and friends. I read of a teacher who led her third-graders to write down their thoughts about Christmas and compile them into a booklet for their parents. What joy they had binding their little compositions into folders! They designed the covers to look like stained glass windows, and their booklets bore the title “Christmas Windows.” One little boy wrote in his folder, “I think I saw Him in the baby’s smile.” This was wonderfully imaginative, but a classmate asked in a way that only a skeptical third-grader can, “How could you see Jesus? You couldn’t!” The little boy had a simple answer for his critic. She couldn’t see Him because, he said, “You colored your window too dark.”
Perhaps the blues come to those who color their windows too dark during the Christmas season and so can’t look out to see all the good–the gaily decorated shops and the brilliantly lighted Christmas trees in the center of it all, the selfless people taking food to the homeless or serving in a shelter, those jubilant singers caroling in the mall to brighten the spirits of shoppers, the smiles of strangers full of good cheer as they try to pass on the happy mood. The words of a little child can lead us into seeing through clearer windows.
At this special time of year, there is much to chase away the blues– the music performed by choirs that have rehearsed for months to give the Christmas message in song, the faces of happy crowds and the preponderance of red garments in their midst, the angelic voices of children in their Christmas plays, the impressively creative decorations that light up the night in our neighborhoods.- In all of these we can catch the spirit of the season and be jubilant.
Merry Christmas!
Blessings,
Judith