When she was 10, the holidays were magic. The family gathered to feast and fellowship. Turkey, dressing, tamales, and cranberry sauce were plentiful. Lights adorned the house both inside and out, turning it into an extravagant fairy land. Three generations gathered at her grandparent’s home to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her favorite part was the tree blanketed in ornaments and lights. Her mother was an artist who turned the tree into a decorated beacon, celebrating the season and all the people in the family. Each had a collection of ornaments, to which her mother added one to each year.

But her mother died eight years ago and the holidays changed. The first holiday season after her loss, she refused to celebrate. The second year brought unexpected periods of depression and grief at unpredictable times. The third year, the depression and grief got less frequent but no less intense. Each year since, the holidays have brought a mixture of memories; a mixture of warm nostalgia and of deep pain.

So it is with the holidays for many of us. Holidays bring pain that we usually keep locked away in a box in the back of our minds; a box where we keep the memories that threaten to overwhelm us. The business of the holiday season, the demands that take our energy, and the expectations of others, starting earlier each year and running until after the new year, reduce our ability to keep the memories locked away. We are reluctant to allow ourselves to feel the loss again, because, we or others think we should have moved on by now.

Yet, there is no need to keep these precious moments locked up or to struggle with whether “we should be over it” or not. Through the Beautiful Minds Coalition: A Mental Health Ministry and The Congregational Care Ministry at Covenant, a LONGEST NIGHT SERVICE is held each year to provide a peaceful and safe space for those who may not feel festive during the holidays, and for those who support them. Many find it to be a moving and comforting candlelight service which helps focus on the hope found in Christ; even when sorrow, grief, and depression seems to be overwhelming.

Open to all, this years’ service will be held on Saturday, December 21, 2025, 6:30 pm, in the sanctuary. Please join us to remember, celebrate, and hope; in person or online, via Facebook Live, without worry about how you look to others. Join us as we affirm that the Longest Night is the transition from darkness to light, that God’s presence is for those who mourn, for those who struggle, and that God’s Word comes to shine light into our darkness. If you are at home, we encourage you to light candles and post the pictures of the flames in the live chat. You can also simply type a message about what you are lighting a candle for.

If you would like to light a candle yourself, have your prayer spoken aloud, or have a candle lit for a loved one by a member of the Beautiful Minds team during the Longest Night, please send your request to BeautifulMinds@CovenantCares.org by December 21st at noon. This helps us to ensure we have enough candles for each and every prayer sent in and when providing extra candles for those that attend in person.

Watch the service live from this link: www.facebook.com/Covenant.satx/live

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

By Beautiful Minds Coalition: A Mental Health Ministry