Having a blue, Blue Christmas? Here’s Hope!
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Written by Jimmie Burroughs 
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It is Christmas Eve 2011, as write this. My dog and I just took a walk down main street in the little island town of Cedar Key, Florida. It is about dusky dark as I stroll along, with not a car stirring. Just a couple of cars are parked on the street, a street that runs only a few hundred yards in length. Suddenly out of nowhere, a kid comes swishing down the middle of the street on a skateboard and soon disappears into the darkness. Now, once again, the town is completely deserted. As I gaze up toward the night sky, only the North Star is clearly visible; there is enough moisture rising from the ocean to distort it’s shape, giving it a cross like appearance.
In my imagination, I’m wondering what might have been on this deserted street on Christmas Eve over a hundred years ago, around the turn of the century when most of the buildings were constructed. The buildings look very old and tired now, and most of them are listed on the national historic register. The paved streets and the lack of hitching posts are probably the only difference from what it must have looked like at the turn of the 20th century.
Who knows, perhaps at this very same hour, there may have been a horse drawn carriage or two making their way down this lonely street on their way to visit friends, or on their way to a Christmas Eve party. I try hard to imagine how it must have been to have lived then. I know that whoever might have been out on that night so long ago, as am tonight, has long since been gone.
So tonight, it is just my dog and me the only two stirring on this Christmas Eve night. I find myself standing in front of the Island hotel, as it is called, which was constructed in 1858 and has weathered many storms through the years. As my mind continues to ramble, I wonder who might have been lodging here 153 years ago on Christmas Eve. What were their names? What did they do, and why were they here?
There is a large neon sign in the window that says “open“. The lights are on, but rather dim, and there is not a soul in sight. I’ve never been inside the hotel. I peer through the window and notice that the ceiling and walls are constructed of planking, the same sort of material that would have been used 153 years ago. Perhaps it is the same. The counter looks very old also, as if it could have been the original.
We turn around, my dog and I, and begin to walk slowly back to my jeep, which is parked at the other end of the street. The street’s still completely deserted. We walk past a couple of buildings that are boarded up and look like they have been vacant for years. They still look fairly stable but in bad need of restoration.
I’m feeling just a bit lonely by this time, and just pondering, as I walk down this deserted street: what is life all about anyway? So many others have also passed this way before, perhaps a little lonely also, and now have met their end. I wonder if they also had some of my same thoughts as they trudged along.
Many Christmas Eves in the past found my wife and me busy placing the kid’s gifts under the tree, after they had gone to bed. Those early Christmas mornings have come and gone. Nevertheless, the memories of those joy-filled times come drifting across the shadows of my mind as I walk along; my kids busy opening their gifts around the tall green Christmas tree; just my wife and I and the kids, enjoying Christmas with a fire glowing in the fireplace and Christmas music in the background.
The kids are grown and gone and have children of their own now. My lovely wife has passed away and is only a lingering memory. So tonight, it is just me alone in this seemingly, far away deserted little island town, with my thoughts and memories, and with my little dog companion, walking down a dark and vacant street.
This could be just another sad story about life, but it isn’t; there is a glorious hope, because tomorrow the sun will rise again on Christmas day and we will join together across the world in a celebration that answers that question, “What is life all about anyway?” On this glorious day some 2,000 years ago, the savior was born. He came to this earth to sacrifice his life on an old rugged cross so we could be forgiven and receive God’s gift of eternal life.
While the joy of those past Christmases, with wife and kids, are gone forever, my hope remains in the joy of what Christmas and all of life are really about, and that is knowing Jesus the Lord, a peace that passes all understanding, that never ends and which drives away loneliness if we allow it.
The mind sometimes wants to pull us into a state of loneliness because of circumstances, but that is not God’s plan. We can be alone or in a state of aloneness which is opposite of loneliness. Loneliness longs for others to fill the gap and make us happy while aloneness faces life with the challenge to fulfill God’s purpose. We are all alone in a sense, but we are not all lonely.
Yes, life is filled with many experiences and stages. Things are ever changing; many happy experiences, along with sad ones, come and go. Life begins and ends. People part and go their separate ways and everything seems so temporal. Almighty God, in the midst of all this change, is the lasting hope. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. A relationship with God is the only thing that makes sense of this ever-changing world. It is the only thing that stays the same, and it is the only thing that we take with us when life on earth is over. During this season of lights, or whenever you may be reading this, why not establish a relationship with God and see for yourself what a difference it makes in what otherwise can be a dreary, disappointing world.
About the author: Jimmie Burroughs is a motivational speaker and author who’s been involved in teaching Christian Personal Development for more than 30 years. He is a dedicated believer in Jesus Christ and considers helping others his calling in life. His websites contains over 600 articles on preparing yourself for success and better living through personal development.
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