Blue Christmas is bittersweet
Holiday service aims to help people cherish loved ones who died
Everyone who loses a loved one probably learns to accept that all holidays will be bittersweet. And Christmas — with its stress on gathering the entire family around a tree shining with tinsel and lights or a table loaded with food, and Andy Williams sing-nagging store shoppers that this is the most wonderful time of the year — can make the pain of loss cut deeper.
Some churches have a special service meant for those mourning a loss. But a Blue Christmas aims to help them also remember, cherish and share those lost loved ones brought to life.
It’s a reminder that some people live life so richly and fully, the happiness they created lives on after they are gone. Blue Christmas is usually scheduled on Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year.
In 2020, that night is Dec. 20. And given the toll the pandemic has taken, churches hosting Blue Christmas may be able to help more people than ever.
A cluster of local congregations will be hosting joint
Blue Christmas services. Albany’s Westminster Presbyterian and Emanuel Baptist Church are among those offering a candlelight Blue Christmas via Zoom that Sunday from 6 to 7 p.m. It promises music and supportive fellowship.
Their websites acknowledges that the losses in 2020 encompass more than deaths of loved ones.
“Thousands have lost economic security; some have lost businesses built over a lifetime,” reads the Emanuel site. “Most of us have lost beloved rhythms of life that enriched us with variety in our activities and with the presence of others.
We can also name many losses related to hatred and violence … we will acknowledge our sorrow and grief and take comfort in knowing that God came and dwelt among us in the midst of hardship.”
Westminster is also hosting online workshops on “spiritual resilience” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 with psychologist Emily Hart and Westminster pastor Heather Kirk-davidoff.
To sign up and to send questions for Hart and the pastor to address, email pastor@wpcalbany.org. Everyone is welcome to participate, not just congregation members.