Home Alone At Christmas-by Heidi McLaughlin
Posted: December 10, 2019
The movie “Home Alone” is a hilarious Christmas classic. But being alone at Christmas is not funny; it’s a harsh and ugly reality. Aloneness can be a gift when we seek it and find contentment. But loneliness is different. This topic is not just idle conversation; it’s becoming an emerging epidemic. Loneliness is a reality. In January of 2019 the UK appointed Tracey Crouch[1] to take on the new role of Minister of Loneliness. Then last year, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called loneliness a “growing health epidemic” in a Harvard Business Review essay.[2] Even more…I was shocked when I read the article on CNN stating: “Lonely Beijing citizens are helping create a billion-dollar industry around their pampered pets.” [3] People everywhere, including our churches, are suffering with loneliness. Many of us are “so busy” at Christmas that we forget those who are grieving, depressed or simply don’t have any community…
