Blue
Christmas
Many of us, especially those of us in the USA,
remember an Elvis Presley song from 1957 entitled Blue
Christmas. The lyrics were written by Billy Hays and Jay
Johnson. They go:
I’ll have a blue Christmas without you,
I’ll be so blue just thinking about you,
Decorations of red on a green Christmas
tree,
Won’t be the same dear, if you’re not here
with me.
And when those blue snowflakes start
falling,
That’s when those blue memories start
calling,
You’ll be doin’ all right with your Christmas
of white,
But I’ll have a blue, blue, blue, blue
Christmas.
At this time of year when many people are
celebrating in red, green, gold and silver, others can only see and
feel “blue”, sad, depressed, lonely, isolated, and
forgotten.
Blue Christmas symptoms are similar to those
of depression, grief and mourning. There is a fatigue not
relieved by rest, low energy and flat affect, maybe a craving for
sweets and the subsequent weight gain, feelings of isolation,
helplessness and hopelessness. There may also be a heartfelt
longing for people, relationships and times all passed.
The fact that there is decreased sunlight, and thus less vitamin D
assimilation, contributes to the depressed feelings. This is
also the same time of year as an increase in SAD ̶ Seasonal
Affective Disorder ̶ which has a similar type of physiological and
psychological response in individuals.
For those churches that conduct a Blue
Christmas service, this is usually done on the evening of December
21st. This day is selected because, in the
northern hemisphere, it is the shortest day and longest night of
the year, which further contributes to dark feelings. When
individuals and families have lost loved ones during the year, the
joyful and glorious spirit of Christmas is muted because of the
loss. The service provides people with an opportunity
to worship with others who share their same feelings.
Generally there is a candle lighting ceremony as well as a prayer
component and hymn sing which brings some light to the body, joy in
the heart and peace to the soul of the survivors.
It is the role of the parish nurse and pastor
to be cognizant of the members of the congregation and community
who have lost loved ones, and to provide this service of healing
for them. The Bible reminds us (Matthew 18:20):
Where there are two or three gathered together in my
name, there am I in the midst of them.
Hopefully, then, with this assurance, individuals and families who
may be feeling ‘blue’ will be able to feel more comfortable
contributing to the Christmas festivities.
Jamie Spikes, PhD, RN
St. Luke Lutheran Church
Manhattan, KS, USA