Blue Christmas? Hope & Mental Health for the Holidays

This blog was written by Brandi Carden, Congregational Social Work Intern 2025-2026, as part of her Field Placement Experience.

If Christmas feels heavy this year, you are not alone. The holidays can magnify the ache of grief, the quiet of an empty chair, or the loneliness that’s hard to put into words. That’s why we invite you to  Blue Christmas—a gentle Advent service that makes room for honest hearts.

📍 High Street United Methodist Church 

219 South High Street, Muncie, IN 47305 

🗓️ December 9, 2025 

🕖 7:00 p.m.

Blue Christmas is for anyone who has lost someone they love, anyone carrying sorrow, and anyone who may feel alone or overwhelmed this season. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay here. You can come exactly as you are.

Scripture reminds us that God meets us in our grief:

• “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.” — Psalm 34:18

• “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” — Matthew 5:4

• “Jesus wept.” — John 11:35

  
  

This night is about holding sorrow and hope together—because faith doesn’t erase loss, but it does promise we’re not abandoned in it:

• “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” — 2 Corinthians 6:10

• “We do not grieve as those who have no hope.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:13

If we didn't have a chance to meet after I gave my testimony in worship on Dec. 7, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Brandi Carden, and I am FBCM’s new Congregational Social Work Intern. I am currently working to receive my Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Indiana Wesleyan University. Blue Christmas is important to me because I have lost several key family members, one of whom was my husband.  When he passed away, I felt myself feeling alone and isolated like no one cared.  When Kendall mentioned this type of service, I jumped on it so that others would not feel the sense of isolation and loneliness that I felt.  

If you don’t want to come alone, you’re welcome to meet me. We can connect for an early dinner before the service or grab coffee/hot chocolate afterward at the McDonalds—no pressure, just company. Sometimes having one safe person to walk in with makes all the difference. I will wait before and after the service for anyone who wants to connect.  

💙 For anyone coming, or anyone who’s curious what this night is about, here are a few reflection questions that are good for all of us to sit with):

• What does "Blue Christmas" mean to you personally?

• How can the Church better "mourn with those who mourn?"

• What would it look like for you to hold sorrow and hope together this year?

  
  

You are seen. You are welcome. And you don’t have to carry this season by yourself.