I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel.
As a child, I never understood why Charlie Brown felt this way about Christmas and why it was the opening statement to the holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas. The truth is that I never truly realized the central theme of the entire special was mental health at all… until I struggled with my own mental health. Sometimes it’s hard to see or understand something until you have experienced it yourself. And, because of my new understanding of what it means to be human—to feel deep lows and sky highs—I believe that A Charlie Brown Christmas might be one of the most significant mental health programs ever created… and way ahead of its time.
There is no surprise that the holiday season can be both the best and worst time of the year depending on who you ask. Personally, I love the holiday season. It’s a time when my family comes together to celebrate another, hopefully healthy year and to enjoy good food and cheer. Christmas Day is also my birthday, which adds an extra level of celebration for our family. And, if I could have one birthday wish for the world every year, it would be that the holidays represent a time of joy, celebration, and love for every single person alive. But, sadly, I know this is not the case.
First of all, there is the obvious… Maybe Charlie Brown is right. Maybe we have made the holidays about everything they were not intended to be. The fact that we just spent over $7 billion on Black Friday might be a sign of our over commercializing of the holidays and our need for materialism. The fact that the holidays are now considered one of the most stressful times of the year might be another sign. Our need to give the perfect gifts, host the perfect parties, have the perfect decorations, and send out the perfect family cards, might all be signs that we have drifted from the true spirit of the holidays.
And, as we struggle to be perfect, hiding right in plain sight, there are people we know who are just like Charlie Brown… depressed and anxious, feeling completely disconnected and counting the days until the holidays are over. They might be friends of ours, family members, neighbors, or co-workers. People, just like us, who are struggling secretly with mental health issues and none of us are aware.
But then there is the less obvious… the ones who weren’t necessarily depicted in A Charlie Brown Christmas, but deserve and want the same thing that all of us do—to feel good, to feel loved, and to know that they matter. Because of my line of work, I have the honor of privilege of meeting these people, who are otherwise completely invisible to so many of us. And I am sharing their sentiments with you, not to be a downer or to make you feel guilty, rather to better help all of us be more aware of how others experience the holidays.
Dear Arthur,
I know this is a tough time of year for you. You did everything you could to help your family live the American dream. You literally risked your life for it… migrating here, serving in the military, fighting in two wars, and surviving the Great Depression. Yes, you certainly did your part. But times are different now. Most of your friends are gone… as is your wife. And, we are just a little bit busy now and will be traveling for the holidays, so please enjoy your Christmas meal with all of your best friends at the community center. We hope you win the big holiday bingo tournament…
Dear Veronica,
I know this is a tough time of year for you. You were just picked up by two adults in uniform and brought to a foster care facility because your parents were fighting and your young life was in danger. You are too young to understand why they were punching and kicking each other, but you are also too young to understand why you were taken away. Like last year, you will be spending the holidays with a bunch of adults and children you have never met, but we promise it is in your best interest…
Dear Mark,
I know this is a tough time of year for you. You are now serving your 20th year of a 35-year sentence for a crime you didn’t commit yourself. No, you didn’t pull the trigger, but you were there… and now you are behind bars. As you sit in your cell and think about your family, I know the sadness is overwhelming. The isolation and loneliness are killers. The joy of Christmas as a young boy is now just a very distant merry. No more Santa Claus. No more gifts under the tree. No more family supper. But hang in there; you only have another fifteen more holiday seasons to go…
These are the sentences that so many people feel the holiday season serves them every single year. I know this because I have actually met Arthur, Veronica, and Mark. Their stories are completely true and real, and they are just three examples of a countless number of stories most of us have never heard.
So, as we move into yet another holiday season, yes, let’s celebrate. No one’s life is perfect and we all have stuff we are dealing with… even during the holidays… but let’s come together to love and connect and be thankful for everything we have. I wish you and yours the happiest of holidays for sure.
But, like the beautiful ending of A Charlie Brown Christmas, let’s also come together in compassion and empathy and service. Let’s be aware that the holidays are not always joyous and jolly—that there are people we know, and certainly those we don’t, who might be struggling to get through another year. So let’s be the light for them. Let’s let them know that it’s okay to not feel okay. Let’s make this year, and every holiday season, about giving instead of getting. Let’s be present. Let’s volunteer. Let’s hug and smile and provide laughter. And, let’s make sure every single person we meet, even if it means going out of our way, knows how much they matter.
I truly believe that if we all have the same wish that the holidays represent a time of joy, celebration, and love for every single person alive, we can truly make a difference in the lives of so many people during this challenging time of year.
Thank you, Charlie Brown, for sharing your truth and your struggles during that holiday season back in 1965. Thank you for helping us reconnect to what this time of year is really about. You matter. People matter.