A version of this article was first published in the Right to the Point newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday morning.
In his book “Taking Religion Seriously,” published earlier this year, political scientist Charles Murray detailed his path from agnosticism to faith, aided by the writings of C.S. Lewis, among others.
Murray came to believe that, despite his lifelong skepticism, there are questions that are only answered by religion — and, in his case, like Lewis, by Christianity in particular. But toward the end of the book, he admits a disappointment: “I have yet to experience the joys of faith.”
When he’s around his wife and others who experience joy derived from their religion, Murray said, “I sometimes feel like a little boy whose nose is pressed against the window, watching a party he can’t attend.”
Similarly, Murray said he is “seldom moved by music” even though while listening to a Beethoven symphony one night he thought, “This must be how some people always hear music.”
Murray’s story is particularly poignant in a week in which we are bombarded with songs and messages about joy. And for many people, joy might be hard to come by this year. From the tragedies that dominated headlines to the private losses of our own, and those of people close to us, there are some years that it’s hard to do anything but endure the holidays and trust that joy will return.
Which means that if you’re experiencing anything resembling joy this Christmas, give thanks and guard it like the treasure that it is. As Lewis famously noted, “Joy is never in our power and pleasure often is.”
Joy is a gift beyond comprehension, like the birth that many millions of us celebrate this week. But as the angel told the shepherds, the good tidings of great joy are for all people — Charles Murray included.
To that point, let’s set politics aside for a few days. It’s been nice to see so many people temporarily take their leave of social media in order to spend more time with family. Kind of makes you wonder why we only observe Christmas just once a year.
Christmas in six quotes
“I have not become a Christian because I want others to abide by its ethics. I have become a Christian because the way it leads to a more well-rounded, fulfilling family life is so self-evident that there must be something more to it, something that can overcome our modern doubts. Whether in the Nativity scenes I visit with my children, or in the Evensong services we attend, I am participating in something transcendent, something that secularism can never offer.” — Ayaan Hirsi Ali, "A Christmas Revival is Under Way."
“I think we were made for some relationship with the divine, and I think Christmas offers one of the most comfortable ways to begin and renew that relationship, at least for those of us who have grown up in the Christian tradition.” — Bill McKibben, “Hundred Dollar Holiday.”
“The incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest news that human beings could hear. It is the great truth that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us for our salvation, for us and for our salvation. There’s no better news. This is the greatest news any human ears could ever hear. It’s the greatest words any human could ever read. We’ve set this to song, and we understand there’s no song that’s fully adequate, but we just can’t help singing those songs with full energy and full joy. We need to sing them with full wonder and we need to feel the shock all over again.” — the Rev. Albert Mohler Jr., “The Shock of Christmas.”
“Christmastime can be sad because Christmastime is wonderful. It was made to be that way. It is the birth of the Christ child in the manger and the knowledge that he must die to save us. And we feel that, somehow, in our own celebrations of Christmas: that joy mingling with sorrow. It’s there in the way that each Christmas is like the last, but not quite: a direct line to childhood and the things of yesteryear that, in our busy adult lives, we rarely think about it. It’s happening now but also gone forever. Birth and death. Winter.” — Faith Moore, “A Christmas Joy So Fierce It Hurts.”
“Then, suddenly, with my eyes closed, in my imagination, I saw it. Everything. There was a manger in the darkness and a man and a woman, and it was cold and there were stars in the sky, and hills, and wise men came with staffs and gazed in wonder. I saw it all, as if on film in a newsreel. It hit me like an electric bolt. I thought: ‘It’s all true. It really happened. I just saw it.’ I never forgot it, of course, and in later years, teaching catechism classes, I’d say at the end, ‘All you have to do is remember: It’s all true. It really happened. Just keep that in your mind.’” — Peggy Noonan, “In Celebration of Modest Christmases Past.”
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14.
Recommended reading
Susan Easton Black offers a moving story about the time in her life when there was “more month than money,” and a mysterious envelope arrived in her mailbox with a few well-worn dollar bills.
“That night, I pleaded with the Lord for a glimmer of hope that Christmas would be better than I imagined. My prayers awakened (my son). ‘Don’t worry about presents,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t matter.’ I knew it didn’t matter on December 20, but it would matter on December 25.”
December was an especially cruel month for our first president, George Washington, who loved his Virginia home but too often was away from it at Christmas, writes David Harmer.
“For George and Martha Washington, Christmases together at Mount Vernon were festive, joyous and all too few. Some years they were together, but far from home. That was the case in 1775, when Martha hazarded the arduous journey to the army’s winter encampment in Cambridge, Mass. She did the same in 1779 in Morristown, N.J.; and again in 1781 in Philadelphia. More often, they spent Christmas far apart.”
A Christmas tribute to America’s founders
Norman C. Hill notes that loneliness can be a problem for people over the holidays, especially for older people who live alone.
“Christmas can stir memories of earlier years — bustling kitchens, crowded tables and the sound of children running through the house. These memories, though cherished, can deepen the sense of loss when they contrast sharply with present-day solitude. For some older individuals, the holiday may become a reminder of people missing from their lives rather than a celebration of what remains or what still lies ahead."
Have yourself a merry Christmas, even if you live alone
End Notes
The week before Christmas, I paid a visit to conservative activist Riley Gaines at her home near Nashville, Tennessee, and got to meet her husband and new baby, and see the studio where she records her OutKick podcast and myriad other media appearances.
I also learned what Gaines is giving her husband for Christmas. No spoilers here — it’s not Christmas yet — but let’s just say, they’re going to need a bigger barn. Here’s the story, if you missed it.
Merry Christmas, and happy holidays to everyone in the Right to the Point family. I wish you joy, and the peace that passes all understanding. You can email me at Jgraham@deseret.com, or send me a DM on X, where I’m @grahamtoday.