There’s a very real condition that, to varying extents, affects many of us in December. It’s clinically known as “seasonal affective disorder” (SAD). If you look it up, you’ll sometimes find a version of it listed as “holiday depression.”
Often SAD is merely an exacerbation of the depression one deals with on a regular basis. It’s not something new. The sense of sadness is merely heightened. There are countless reasons for that: economic, medical, social (everyone else appears happy but we can’t find the joy), fatigue, grief, relationships (how many times this December have you heard Elvis singing, I’ll Have a Blue Christmas Without You?), etc. The list is long.
Sometimes holiday blues are the result of simply acknowledging reality.
- A loved one has a serious illness, and the doctors say that cherished person won’t make it to another Christmas. When that is the case, Joy to the World is a little more difficult to come by.
- Ukraine continues to be brutalized by a genuinely evil man named Putin.
- The people in Taiwan live under constant fear that China will decide to take away their freedom.
- Hunger and starvation are rampant in places like Haiti, Gaza, Mali, and Sudan (where 50% of the population goes to bed hungry each night and children daily starve to death).
- In our own land, tribalism has displaced patriotism. Divisions are so deep that many former friends and family members have become permanently estranged. The old adage, “Where your deepest passions lie, there you have found your god” is proven true as our love of or hatred for certain politicians evoke more passion than our emotions about the Child who lies in a manger. We kneel before small golden calves.
For many of us who watch it happen, we feel an abiding sense of sadness.
As I said, the list is long, and you can add your own reasons for experiencing holiday blues:
- an awareness of the pace and brevity of life (I have been telling my wife all week, “I’m not ready for Christmas to be over, for the music to be put away till next December, for the decorations to go back to the attic – It’s rushing by too quickly!”) …
- visits from the Ghost of Christmases Past making us wish we could turn back the clock to fully appreciate long-ago moments we failed to adequately understand OR to alter other moments when our desires or insensitivity caused another person’s pain …
- the suspicion that we too often have missed or ignored “the reason for the season” in a resignation to commercialism …
- the guilt of selfishness (a man my father knew once told him, “I consider Christmas a success when I receive more than I give away”) …
You can create your own list of why “holiday depression” is real.
So, what do we do about it? Very Well Mind (November 21, 2025, issue) suggested six things that have been proven to help us deal with holiday-related blues: [1] Drink only in moderation (the author recommended no more than two drinks at any social function) … [2] Don’t isolate (discipline yourself to be around people) …[3] Exercise regularly (even a few short walks daily can positively alter the chemical balance of the brain) … [4] Learn to say “No” (you cannot do all things or be in all places, so be intentional and selective about managing your schedule so as to avoid physical and emotional fatigue) … [5] Find time for yourself (daily do at least one thing that brings you joy, no matter how hurried you feel with a thousand other things on your agenda) … [6] Set realistic expectations (not every Christmas will be as transformational or magic for you as it was for Ebenezer Scrooge, but happiness and meaning can still be found if we keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open).
Let me add a couple more suggestions: [1] Limit your time on social media. It can poison our outlook more, perhaps, than any other force on the contemporary landscape. I now even limit the amount of time I spend watching the news (and it doesn’t matter if it’s MSNOW or Fox, overdosing on any news outlet nowadays can be toxic – stay informed, but don’t obsess) … and [2] Focus on the meaning of the moment. It’s Christmas. Something lasting occurred long ago that will outlive whatever force(s) have us troubled in a given instant. “Peace on earth, good will to all” was promised, and if we look seriously at the lives of good and kind and decent and caring people, we will see that the promise is consistently fulfilled.
I write this on Christmas Eve. The importance of the suggestions listed, if you find them important, should remain just as valid in the new year. In truth, with every holiday to come (New Year’s, Valentine’s, Lent and Easter, etc.), our greatest opportunity to manage the blues and discover the joy is to stay focused on the deep and real meanings of those seasons.
Distinguish between the temporary and the lasting … Acknowledge that evil has a shelf life, and goodness will always outlive it … Laugh often, love without conditions, and live among others as you would have them live alongside you … Don’t miss whatever happiness is to be found, even if it comes in small increments … Invest yourself in relationships … Hope in Something you cannot see, and Trust that the Something you hope in will not abandon you.
Merry Christmas … and Happy New Year!