The well-stocked fridge, the table full of snacks and all the Christmas decorations I had ordered online in advance – these are great when shared with my family. But they all seem… redundant when I’m going to have to be alone at home.

November is the month that I have always looked forward to. The first day of November reminds me that Christmas is around the corner – just 54 days more!

The days leading to Christmas are always very productive for me because of my involvement in ministry and also the many Christmas shopping trips with friends and family that we have.

The preparation this November has felt very different though. Half of my family has gone on overseas trips one after another, which means I am left alone at home because my older sibling has already moved out after getting married earlier this year.

The house has become unbearably big. One evening, I opened the fridge and found so much food that my first thought was: “How am I going to clear all of this on my own?”

Then there was another day, when I was browsing an online shop because my parents had tasked me to put up some festive decorations. The more I scrolled, the more empty I felt. It was as though I was decorating the house for myself to watch, with nobody to come home to.

Paired with the overwhelming abundance of things and food at home, the sense of loneliness only amplified and it all just felt empty to me.

I could be occupied with ministry and preparations for finals, or I could be having a very fruitful day in church, but when I came back, I couldn’t help but feel sadness washing over me. I returned every day to a house, but not a home.

It wasn’t until a question was placed in my heart that I started to see the purpose of my solitude in this season: “What makes Christmas a season of joy?”

I was honestly guilty for a moment because I knew that if Jesus was the reason I looked forward to Christmas all year round, I would not be as affected by having no one to share my Christmas preparations with.

Instantly, I knew I had placed my joy in other things like people and festive activities. It’s not wrong to enjoy these things, but allowing them to dictate my joy is missing the point.

And so, I began to reexamine what Christmas means to me and that’s also when I realised that this time of solitude is a precious opportunity to draw near to God and grow in intimacy with Him.

As I am walking through a quieter, more reflective Christmas season, here are some things I have picked up so far as I learn to experience Christmas joy even if I am by myself!

Indeed, God showed me that the ingredients to wholesome Christmas joy are these: faith, hope and love.

Faith

Recently, God reminded me of the day when I rededicated my life to Him. It was on Christmas Eve years ago, which means Christmas is like an anniversary between me and God.

I was thirteen when I took a step of faith to follow Him again. I still remember what I said to God back then: “I never want to walk away from You again.”

The simple faith I had on that Christmas Eve in believing that Jesus rescued me, is the same child-like faith I need today to trust that I am not alone because God is with me everywhere I go!

Speaking of faith, the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph is one of the best examples.

The couple’s life took a big turn when God chose them to be Jesus’ parents. Mary’s pregnancy made no sense according to human logic — and yet they had faith in God and trusted His plan.

In my season of solitude leading to Christmas, maybe having faith simply means believing that because God is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing (Psalm 23:1).

I want to learn to be content, and to delight in God’s presence alone so that Christmas can be extra meaningful this year as my heart celebrates Jesus.

Hope

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

Recognising that Christmas is a season of hope is also vital to experiencing true Christmas joy. The birth of Jesus is no ordinary birth. It was the birth of the Messiah, the Son of God! 

Jesus is the hope of salvation, and His birth also shows that the 400 years of silence prior to His birth were not a wasted wait — they culminated in God sending His Son to save humanity.

The people of Israel in that era faced a great season of waiting, and not just any kind of waiting. The Hebrew word for waiting — qavah — means to wait with hope and expectation or to intertwine. To qavah means that hope has the final say, not the silence in waiting.

If 400 years of silence were a time for preparation for the birth of Jesus, then this season of mine can also be a time of preparation for me as I learn to wait upon God with the hope that loneliness is not the final word, but the catalyst that enables me to abide and intertwine with God.

Because Hope has a name — it is “Jesus”!

Love

Most of all, Christmas reminds us that God gave His one and only Son to humanity.

Jesus was born to sacrifice Himself for the sake of mankind and rise again from the dead. The birth of Jesus in itself is an act of Love from God. And without Christmas, Easter wouldn’t exist.

God’s heart really is for people. He loves at all costs and His love is not exclusive. Perhaps what would make Christmas more meaningful for us today is to share this joy with someone else who hasn’t yet experienced the unfailing love of God.

God’s love is also present within our spiritual communities. In times of loneliness, it is easy for me to forget that I am loved. But God has placed people around me as vessels of His love as well.

One thing I am learning to do as a response to His love is to simply accept blessings and receive love from those around me. That means not rejecting the company and support offered to me, but taking heart in embracing love, because that is what Christmas is all about.

And so, this Christmas, fret not if you find it difficult to rejoice!

Let Jesus be your ultimate joy so that through every Christmas gathering or gift, you can embrace Christmas not just for its festivities but for its message of faith, hope and love.

Then we will be able to experience true Christmas joy and Joy to the World will not just be a Christmas carol, but a declaration flowing from our hearts that celebrates the good news of Jesus our Saviour!