Rediscover The Meaning Of Christmas Amid The Hustle

Advent Is the season of preparation for Christmas by Christians. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends tonight with candlelight services and communion at many churches across West Alabama. The time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to the birth of Christ comes to an end and Christmas Day dawns with new hope for mankind.

But the birth of that baby laying in a manger in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago has to compete with the modern buildup to Christmas: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, gigantic Christmas sales, questions about what gifts to buy, worry about cooking the best meal and on-and-on. The senses can become overloaded. To many it becomes a burden, not a celebration.

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Memories of family Christmas celebrations past can give us a warm feeling. The celebrations of tonight and tomorrow can give us joy. But what happens when it's over?

The busy buildup to Christmas can be a problem for many, especially when all that activity comes to an abrupt halt. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day can be a letdown, all the preparation, planning and shopping is over. In the movie “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Charlie tells Linus “I never feel the way I want to feel at Christmas.”

A REDDIT post described the situation for many, "Like the whole month has been amazing, the lights, the music, shopping for presents, all the anticipation. But now I'm sitting here on Christmas Eve, and there's this heavy feeling knowing it's all about to be over. Tomorrow will come and go, and then it's just... regular life again. The magic dies so fast."

The UA News Center recently posted a story that can help. It is called, "Holiday Blues: Coping with Depression." Th article points out that depression peaks over the holidays. Those joyful childhood Christmases are now just past history and must compete with today's realities.

“When our personal lives do not live up to these standards, if we have lost cherished family members, are estranged from family, or family is simply too far away to visit, we tend to focus on what we are missing out on and how much better others’ lives seem,” says Maureen J. Gleason, president of American Behavioral, a health care organization that The University of Alabama has contracted with to help employees cope with life challenges. "Viewed through this lens, it is easy to experience feelings of loneliness, wistfulness, sadness and even depression.”

The article points out there are coping mechanisms to help with the holidays which are followed by the bleak days of winter that can help:

• Volunteer
• Set realistic boundaries.
• Don’t overspend.
• Avoid negative people.
• Get enough sleep.
• Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
• Exercise.
• Leave the past in the past.
• Enjoy free holiday activities.
• Get in some “me” time.
• Try something new.

Then there is that baby in the manger. The greatest, most joyous gift of all.