I could listen to Christmas music all year long. My oldest daughter thinks we should wait until after Thanksgiving, so we compromise and start on October 1. We always start with the song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” We each have our favorites and those that make us hit the skip button as quickly as we can. Matt, my husband, always wants to jet right past Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” We both love/hate “Christmas Shoes” with all its cheesy lyrics. Our entire family enjoys playing Whamageddon throughout the season, doing everything we can to avoid Wham!’s “Last Christmas” until December 24, lest we be eliminated from the game. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” sung by the cast of Charlie Brown, never fails to make my nostalgic heart swell and a joyful tear come to my eye.

Music has a way of reaching us with a message in a way the lyrics on their own cannot, of imparting truth in a way that sticks with you. It is an incredible communicator and Christmas music is no exception. It can make you joyous, recalling memories of past Christmases. It can transport you to that feeling of cheer, of the hustle and bustle, of the season’s sights and sounds. It can also quickly bring you to moments of quiet reflection, when you hear words like, “O holy night, the stars are brightly shining, it is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.” Nothing quiets my heart quicker at Christmas than the sounds of the “Ave Maria.” It transports me to Luke 1, where another song, Mary’s Magnificat, is found. In an instant, with the visit from an angel, the trajectory of Mary’s life changed. Her future was planned out but in a moment’s notice, everything shifted. She was faced with what seems to be a terrible problem: pregnant and unwed in a culture that would throw her away. And yet, in the face of this reality, she sings: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” She sings of His mercy and His help. In the face of what may seem to be insurmountable trouble, she chooses to praise and trust.

Christmas isn’t always easy. Sometimes life circumstances can leave us feeling hopeless. We can face it alone, in despair, or we can, like Mary, choose to glorify the Lord, relying on His mercy and help to walk through this life toward whatever He is calling us to. 

This Christmas, whether it be joy-filled or dark, I hope that you sense God’s presence in your life and that you can rejoice, not because of what is happening, but because of who He is. 

Illustration by Lan Truong