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Christmas is coming! The presents wrapped in fun and funky paper. The family. The homemade sugar cookies and sledding in three-feet snow. The break from school and pop quizzes! Sounds nice, doesn't it? But did you know that the holidays are a difficult time for lots of teens? Dr. David Lowenstein, a psychologist, says that as many as one person in four battles the holiday blues this time of year.

Depression and Christmas?

It doesn't seem like a good fit, but makes sense if dad or mom is out of the picture. It's a bummer when the only Christmas wish is for everybody to get along, and it doesn't happen, or if money is tight and the parents are stressing. If a student is dealing with the holiday blues, they might not understand the hype. Christmas becomes something to endure rather than a celebration.

If you work with teens or families with teens, how can you help as the holidays approach?

It may surprise you, but one way to impact a hurting teen is to involve them in a giveaway. Giving isn't making a big show of generosity or busting the wallet to buy the most expensive gift. It's kindness in action, like sending cards to the troops or visiting a nursing home with appropriate hand-made gifts. It's raising money as a youth group to buy gifts for children in the Salvation Army Angel program.

Teens have the opportunity to embrace the season as they drink hot chocolate and eat s'mores and sing off-key carols as they trek to the mall to choose the name of two or three children. It becomes personal as they pray for the children receiving the gifts. There are many ways to give this season, such as visiting a widow in the church and performing an act of service for her. The ideas are only limited by your and the students' imaginations.

You can't fix a teen's home life, and you can't change the economy, but the gift of bigheartedness can be tossed down the chimney and into a teen's life as they take part in offering an extra helping of kindness this Christmas.

Even if you don't normally interact with teens, this is a great way to reach out over the holidays. How does your family normally give during the holidays? Is it possible that you can include a teen from the youth group who may be having a hard time?

You may never know the impact, but I do. For I was once a girl who had a rough home life. I will never forget those who reached out during the tough times and showed me how to give by giving of themselves.

November18, 2008 at 6:42 PM

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