The Key to Coping When Christmas 2020 is Anything But a Hallmark Movie—Psalm 41:1-3

Mired in a holiday traffic snarl, I drum on my steering wheel, inching forward slow as a slug on a sidewalk. As I wait and scan the never-noticed-before landscape, I spy a fleeting movement in the woods adjacent to the access road. Forty feet from the rush swathed head to toe in khaki, his camouflage would have been perfect except for his motion.

As my eyes focus past the thicket it registers—I was seeing three small dome tents circling the glen. With the dropping leaves, the hidden lair became somewhat visible through the dense snarl of branches. 

Nestled within a quarter-mile of the mall, the homeless camp was filled to the brim with cast-offs and refuse. Much of what I glimpsed looked like trash to my suburban eyes, but we all know, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The day was somewhat chilly—but what of the freezing temps and the five inches of snow predicted later that week? How will they survive?

And my thoughts drift– what of others down on their luck—like the Arizona man who wobbled into the quick stop at daybreak as we stopped in our travels for gas? His baggy black sweatsuit offered high contrast to the dried grass that covered his back and dark hair. It was apparent he had slept in a field that night.

The irony of the moment smacks me. Here I sit, a stone’s throw away in a warm car with carols blasting. Surrounded with Christmas packages, and though so close to the camp, I in my excess, exist in a world inaccessible to them.

And I realized what was missing in my holidaze. THE GIVING to those less fortunate.

As Christmas rolls near, I’ve gotten so wrapped up in trying to create a bit of normalcy, I’ve forgotten what’s most important. Yes, I’ve dropped a check here and there, but in this season of rampant fear, I’ve stepped back from the giving of myself. 

The homeless are still there, COVID or not. The lonely are more lonely than ever. Isolation and depression run rampant as people who are used to being surrounded by family find themselves separated from their loved ones at this most wonderful time of year. 

Because Christmas 2020 is anything but a Hallmark Movie it’s easy to despair. But a solution to the sadness exists. There are ways to give of yourself and stay safe, and we still have a week left before the big day…

—Bake some goodies and drop them on the porch. Or just buy some cookies and candies and put them in a bag. It’s the thought that counts, not the cooking skills right!?!

—Do a porch visit or set up a lawn chair in the yard as weather permits. I’ve found 38 and sunny with no wind works great with a hat and coat.

—Volunteer to cook for a family. Call them and leave it at the door.

—Or if you are homebound, call someone to chat. It will brighten your day theirs too.  

—And always, always be thankful.

Find the joy to the world again through serving others and bask in God’s protection. 

Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!

    The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.

The Lord protects them and keeps them alive.

He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies.

The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.

Psalm 41:1-3