I wrote the following paragraph as part of an invitation to a service at our church for those struggling with heavy emotions during the holidays. It's a bit fragmented, but I thought I'd share it:

Christmas is a season of hope. We hope for many things: health, happiness, love, peace. But the central hope of Christmas is this, that when God encounters us, it is not in judgment but with the warm embrace of a friend. "Emmanuel, God with us." "Peace on earth, good will toward all." And Jesus, the one who heralds this loving presence, was Himself a "man of sorrows, acquainted with grief." He welcomes us as we are, offering us his own suffering symbolized with bread and wine, asking us to offer our hopes and fears, joys and sorrows in full return to him. This is our act of hope, not to conjure up 'appropriate' advent feelings, but to offer up our very selves to the God who is with us.