I can’t believe we’re already heading into the Christmas season!
Last week, I stopped by my local Christian bookstore and gift shop. Christmas merchandise was everywhere. The decorations were up, the displays were ready, and it looked as though the holiday season was already in full swing.
Years ago, in what sometimes feels like another lifetime, I managed a Christian bookstore and gift shop called Accents in the Macon Mall in Georgia. I remember how much work went into getting ready for Christmas.
But here we are again.
Are you ready for it?
That question takes me back to some wonderful Christmas memories.
Christmas was a big deal in our family. Mom and Dad loved everything about it—the music, the decorations, the food, the family gatherings, and especially the celebration of Christ’s birth.
In the early 1960s, Dad built a Hi-Fi from Radio Shack. I can still remember Harry Belafonte’s Christmas music playing, along with the familiar Christmas classics my parents had enjoyed growing up. Our home was filled with music, visiting, eating, and storytelling. There was a wonderful sense of anticipation.
Mom had been a schoolteacher and school librarian, and Dad was a chemical engineer. They also had an entrepreneurial streak. We had a nursery on our property, and Mom eventually became the owner of a florist shop in Fort Valley, Georgia.
She brought her enthusiasm for Christmas into the shop, decorating early and making everything festive and bright. That enthusiasm eventually carried over into our bookstore in Macon.
Of course, Christmas wasn’t all music and decorations.
When Angie and I came home for the holidays, Mom had a way of putting us to work delivering hundreds of poinsettias around the community.
I’ll confess, it took me quite a few years to develop a proper appreciation for poinsettias!
Looking back, those were wonderful years. Not perfect, I’m sure, but rich with memories, faith, and people we loved.
Then, on December 2, 2016, Mom died.
Although Angie and I lived about 1,500 miles away, that Christmas felt profoundly different. There was an emptiness that distance couldn’t explain away.
I believed then, as I do now, in the promise reflected in 2 Corinthians 5:8—that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
I had confidence about where Mom was.
But I missed her.
The Christmas music still played. The decorations were still beautiful. The message of Christ’s birth hadn’t changed.
But something in my world had.
And perhaps you’ve experienced something similar.
Maybe there’s an empty chair at your Christmas table this year. Maybe someone you love is no longer part of your life in the way they once were. Perhaps your health has changed, your children have moved away, or a relationship has become strained.
Or maybe you’re simply exhausted by everything you’re supposed to accomplish before December 25.
Christmas has a way of bringing those things to the surface. Sometimes the season doesn’t create our sadness or disappointment. It simply makes what we’re carrying harder to ignore.
And if we’re Christians, we can add another layer of pressure. We know Christmas is supposed to be joyful. So when we’re feeling lonely, disappointed, or tired, we may begin to wonder whether something is wrong with our faith.
I don’t believe that’s necessarily true.
Grief and gratitude can live in the same heart.
When Christmas Looks Different
One thing I’ve learned is that we don’t have to recreate every Christmas we’ve ever loved.
Some traditions are worth keeping. Others may need to change. And sometimes, when life has changed, we need to give ourselves permission to celebrate differently.
Maybe that means a smaller gathering, a quieter evening, or making room to remember someone who isn’t there.
Changing a tradition doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten the people who made it meaningful. Sometimes it’s simply an acknowledgment that life has changed, and we’re learning how to live faithfully in this new season.
We can celebrate the birth of Christ and still miss someone terribly. We can be thankful for our families while acknowledging that some relationships are difficult. We can have genuine faith and still feel tired.
Psalm 34:18 reminds us that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
I love that reminder because it doesn’t suggest that brokenhearted people need to pull themselves together before God will draw near.
He meets us in our sorrow.
And that brings me to one of the most meaningful names given to Jesus in the Christmas story.
Immanuel: God With Us
Immanuel. God with us. (Matthew 1:23)
Not God waiting for us to get everything organized.
Not God expecting us to produce a picture-perfect Christmas.
God with us.
With us in the celebrations and the disappointments. With us when the house is full of people and when it feels painfully quiet. With us when the memories make us smile and when they bring tears.
I’ve learned that the presence of grief doesn’t mean the absence of God.
So as we enter another Christmas season, perhaps the best place to begin isn’t with another list of things to accomplish.
Maybe it’s with a little honesty.
What are you carrying into the holidays this year?
Is it anticipation? Gratitude? Weariness? Grief? Family concerns? Perhaps a mixture of several things?
You don’t have to pretend those feelings aren’t there. And you don’t have to resolve everything before Christmas arrives.
You can bring your life, just as it is, to the One who came to be with us.
The empty chair doesn’t mean God has left the room.
And Christmas doesn’t have to be perfect to be deeply meaningful.
May you experience His presence in whatever this season holds.
Free Hope for the Holidays Guide
The holidays can bring wonderful memories, but they can also stir up grief, loneliness, and unexpected stress.
I’ve put together a free Hope for the Holidays guide with biblical encouragement and practical ways to find peace, even when Christmas isn’t what you hoped it would be.
I’d love to share it with you.
John Thurman is a Christian counselor, author, speaker, and crisis-response specialist who writes about resilient faith, emotional health, and finding hope in life’s difficult seasons.
More encouragement and resources at www.johnthurman.net.
© 2026 John Thurman / Covert Mercy Resources
Featured image: AI-generated illustration created for John Thurman / Covert Mercy Resources.
