The Joy And Burden Of The Holidays: By Diran Avagyan

As someone who grew up in Armenia, Christmas season for me is always associated with snow. On rare occasions when we didn’t have a snowfall for New Year and Christmas, I always felt like something significant was lacking.

Although we usually don’t get any snow in the valleys of Los Angeles, I know many families who go to Big Bear, Yosemite, Mammoth, or Lake Tahoe to enjoy snow during this holiday season.

Evidently, the Christmas season is loved by most, despite religious differences. Winter, snow, Christmas stockings, “chestnuts roasting on the fireplace,” festive dinners, music, and gift exchanges - all add to the spirit of the holidays. Yet, engulfed in the joy of the season, we often fail to recognize that some people cannot afford to enjoy this season.

While some kids play snowball fights, others don’t have proper shoes and coats to protect them from the cold and wet. While some unwrap their gifts, others dream of a warm shelter. While some indulge in extravagant dinners, others long for a cup of warm soup.

During this time of the year, I invite you to think of the sufferers - those afflicted by wars, natural disasters, economic disparities, and other injustices. Let us also remember the victims of crimes, the lonely, the abandoned, the refugees, the orphans, the incarcerated, the hospitalized, and our brave military men and women who serve overseas, separated from their families.

How do we include those individuals in our holiday celebrations - as a society and as individuals? How do we inspire hope, give positive encouragement, and increase faith in those who seem brokenhearted? How do we share from our abundance and provide warmth to those who have become cold-hearted? How do we comfort those who constantly think of the empty chairs around their holiday tables and grieve?

I believe that we are all capable of doing something - small or big. The least we can do is empathize with people’s suffering by acknowledging and validating their feelings and experiences. It costs nothing to remember these people and be mindful of their special circumstances. If you cannot do anything tangible, give them respect, love, and dignity, because Christ was born for everyone - for you, for me, for the homeless in Skid Row, for the refugee child from Artsakh, for the orphan in Gaza, for the widow in Ukraine, and for so many others who long for peace and hope this season.

Lastly, let’s prayer together:

Heavenly Father,

At this Christmastide, we ask You to open our eyes so that we may be more observant and soften our hearts so that we may become more empathetic. If we are blinded by material wealth, help us discover the spiritual gifts You offer. If we are consumed by our misery, help us find hope and resilience. Trusting that You care for all Your children, we eagerly await the miraculous birth of Your Son, the Messiah. Amen.