When the Christmas Season Brings More Pain Than Joy

Clem Onojeghuo / Unsplash 

Everyone is supposed to love Christmas and the holidays. It’s supposed to be a time of family and gratitude. But I dread them. I dread the weeks leading up to Christmas, starting the day before Thanksgiving when Christmas carols begin permeating the radio and stores and build to a crescendo through Christmas Eve. The growing darkness in the absence of daylight saving time doesn’t help.

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An image of the November 2026 issue of Sojourners, titled "Face to Face." It features George Lakey on the cover
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