WESTHAMPTON — Christmas is known as a time of joy, but for some who have recently lost a loved one, or just feel the winter blues, the holiday season is not as joyful.
To reach out to those who aren’t feeling the joy this holiday season, four local church congregations are partnering to hold a winter solstice service Thursday to exchange prayers and come together during the longest night of the year.
The Longest Night, A Blue Christmas Service will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Westhampton Congregational Church. The free service is open to the public and is co-facilitated by pastors from Easthampton, Southampton, Westhampton and Huntington United Churches of Christ.
Jennifer E. Valentine, pastor of the First Congregational Church in Southampton, recently painted wooden blue heart ornaments for the event. She said people can hang the hearts on their Christmas tree or on the rearview mirror of their car, and the hearts will serve as a reminder that “love can mend broken hearts.”
Pastor Tadd Allman-Morton, of the Westhampton church, said the Christmas season is typically geared toward an artificial and insisted-upon “joy.”
“We’re going to let everyone know you don’t have to be happy and jubilant here,” Allman-Morton said, adding that the religious community is here for support.
Valentine urges people to light candles to symbolize that even on the darkest day of the year, the light of the world is still here. Candles will be lit with the perpetual peace light, a flame that has been burning in Bethlehem for 1,000 years, Valentine said. Each year, the peace light is shared with people around the United States. Those at the service will also sing the hymn, “In The Bleak Midwinter.”
Allman-Morton said the service will be “an experience where your burdens are heard and named and let go.”
Valentine added that the year has been a hard one with divisive political attitudes, anxiety about immigrants and refugees, and worries for those affected by hurricanes.
The Blue Christmas Service will provide a space for people to process their feelings in a healthy way, Valentine said.
“All emotions are welcome and invited,” she said.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.