by Cindy Walker Burton

Have a holly jolly Christmas! It’s the best time of the year! Or is it? By golly, some folks may not be feeling jolly during the Christmas crunch amidst holiday hassles.

Note to Readers: My article does not address Seasonal Affective Disorder (depression linked to seasonal changes).

The reasons for ho hum glum and gloomy doomy despondency are unlimited. The loss of a loved one, divorce, loneliness, health concerns, estrangement from friends or family, loss of income, over-scheduling, travel-induced stress, and unreasonably high expectations can be sadness catalysts.

This month, I have battled with a few bouts of sorrow against a formidable contender called grief. Grief doesn’t fight fair. This holiday heavyweight can blindside you and knock you out. Grief sucker punched me at a thrift store.

I was browsing Christmas potpourri, bric-a-brac, and knickknacks. Then I saw it. Tears stung my eyes. Just beyond the Christmas chotchkes was kitchenware. What elicited tears? It was a genuine 1960’s era aluminum Foley 54220 ten cup percolator, a replica of the coffee pot my mother used when I was a small child. I remember watching the coffee perk up into the glass bulb, hearing the gentle “chug chug” of the percolation, and smelling the enticing aroma of fresh brewed coffee.

Here are some ways to combat the holiday blues: visit someone, have something to look forward to, go somewhere new, go someplace with somebody, try someway different. Somehow and someday, melancholy will give way to jolly.

I wish you all a holly jolly Christmas!